Ahmadinejad to Visit Lebanon as Northern Axis Tightens the Knot

He will travel to Lebanon after the Muslim fast month of Ramadan which begins Wednesday, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said at a joint news conference with his visiting Lebanese counterpart Ali al-Shami. The daily fast begins on Thursday and concludes in early September.

It will Ahmadinejad’s first trip to Lebanon and the first Iranian presidential visit there since 2003. Lebanese President Michael Sleiman visited Tehran nearly two years ago as the Hizbullah terrorist organization strengthened its political power in the Lebanese government.

Mottaki removed any doubts that he sees Syria and Iran as Beirut’s strategic allies. He said, "The government of the Islamic republic and the Iranian nation are standing with the Lebanese and Syrian governments and nations against the aggression and threats of the Zionist regime," Mottaki said.

The influence of Hizbullah and Syria on the Lebanese government, and Iran’s and Syria’s newfound friendship with the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, present a solid northern front against Israel.