Israel targeting Lebanon elections: Iran
Iran says the Israeli-led smear campaign against Hezbollah leaders is designed to subvert the upcoming parliamentary elections in Lebanon.
Iran Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani said Sunday that the recent demagogy against the Hezbollah Resistance movement is an "outdated game plan" which aims to impinge on Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary elections.
"[Egypt] intends to divert international attention from the plight of Palestinians in the wake of Tel Aviv's three-week war on Gaza," said Larijani, only days after Cairo arrested some 50 people for offering logistical help to the war-hit Palestinians in Gaza.
Cairo recently accused the resistance forces of masterminding a slew of attacks inside Egypt. Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah instantly dismissed the accusations out of hand.
"I fully reject and deny all charges that Hezbollah was intending to launch an act of aggression in Egypt or at any other part of the world," said Nasrallah, confirming that at least one of the 49 detainees belonged to Hezbollah.
Egyptian officials have also branded Nasrollah as an 'Iranian agent' who seeks to spread 'Shia ideology' throughout the region. Larijani rejected the idea as "utterly absurd."
Egypt and its Arab allies are wary of the growing popularity and influence of both Hamas and Hezbollah in the region.
Hezbollah, in recent months, has sharply criticized the Cairo government for keeping the Rafah border-crossing closed in the face of the daunting humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Rafah is the only escape route from Gaza which bypasses Israel.
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