Tehran's Substitute Friday prayers leader Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Khatami on Friday hailed resistance of Lebanese Hizbullah, saying it destroyed the false assumption about the Zionist regime to be an invincible power.
"Regional states regard the Zionist regime as an invincible power but this movement (Hizbullah) shows that Israel is just like a balloon," Khatami said in his second Friday prayers sermons at Tehran University campus.
"Today Hizbullah defends Islam. The issue of Shiite and Sunni is not the question. The Shiite Hizbullah shoulders this responsibility to reduce pressure on Hamas, which is a Sunni movement," he added.
He said the Zionist regime's attack on Lebanon was a pre-planned plot, adding, "The Zionist regime drew plans for its attacks on Lebanon two months ago when it carried out a maneuver in the occupied Palestine.
"The Zionists intended to surprise Lebanon but Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers as part of its legitimate defense."
According to Irna, Khatami cited the United States as the main factor behind ongoing unrest in Palestine and Lebanon, saying, "Washington is after establishment of a new Middle East. A new Middle East which will be under their control.
