(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a message to Lebanese Hezbollah Sec Gen Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah on anniversary of defeating Israel, wrote, “Beating paper tiger of Zionist regime shook shaky columns of occupation throughout the world.

The Islamic Republic of Iran president’s message was delivered to Nasrallah by the IRI Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi, on the blessed occasion of Resistance Celebration Day, on the anniversary of liberating the occupied southern parts of Lebanon.

The Iranian president has congratulated the occasion to the Hezbollah secretary general, the great Lebanese nation and government, and particularly the families of the resistance movement martyrs in his message.

President Ahmadinejad has emphasized, “The liberation of southern parts of Lebanon by the Mujahid, selfless and brave sons of resistance under the supportive umbrella of Almighty Allah’s blessings, and the attention of the 12th Imam (may God hasten his reappearance), paved the path for the Lebanese nation’s greater victory in the course of the 33 Day War, and the awakening of the Muslim nations aimed at materializing their absolute rights and defeating despotism, oppression and occupation.”

The president has at the end of his message expressed hope that continuation of this process would pave the path for the reappearance of the unique savior of the mankind and the establishment of true peace and justice around the globe.

The IRI President has in a separate letter addressed to his Lebanese counterpart congratulated the occasion to President Michel Sulaiman.

The message reads in part, “The epic of liberating the south of Lebanon is reminder of the selflessness, martyrdom seeking, resistance, and firm will of the brave offspring of the great Lebanese nation, who have always been seeking prestige, grandeur and independence of their nation under the umbrella of justice seeking, and pursuing sustainable peace for every single human being after destroying the columns of oppression and despotism.

The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ‎, (Ḥarb al-Tammouz) was a 33-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Golan Heights. The principal parties were Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli military. The conflict started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, though it formally ended on 8 September 2006 when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon.

The war began with airstrikes and artillery fire of the Zionist regime on targets in Lebanon that damaged Lebanese civilian infrastructure, including Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, an air and naval blockade, and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah then launched rockets into northern Israel and engaged the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in guerrilla warfare from hardened positions.

The conflict killed at least 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese citizens, severely damaged Lebanese civil infrastructure, and displaced approximately one million Lebanese and 300,000–500,000 Israelis. After the ceasefire, some parts of southern Lebanon remained uninhabitable due to Israeli unexploded cluster bombs.

On 11 August 2006, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Resolution 1701 in an effort to end the hostilities. The resolution, which was approved by both Lebanese and Israeli governments the following days, called for disarmament of Hezbollah, for withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon, and for the deployment of Lebanese soldiers and an enlarged United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the south. UNIFIL was given an expanded mandate, including the ability to use force to ensure that their area of operations wasn't used for hostile activities and to resist attempts by force to prevent them from discharging their duties. The Lebanese army began deploying in southern Lebanon on 17 August 2006. The blockade was lifted on 8 September 2006. On 1 October 2006, most Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon, though the last of the troops continued to occupy the border-straddling village of Ghajar. In the time since the enactment of UNSCR 1701 both the Lebanese government and UNIFIL have stated that they will not disarm Hezbollah. The remains of the two captured soldiers, whose fates were unknown, were returned to Israel on 16 July 2008 as part of a prisoner exchange.

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