Iran’s Foreign Minister in Lebanon amid war with Hezbollah

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beirut on Friday, October 4. His arrival is important; it is a symbol of Iran’s commitment to Hezbollah.

Israel began to expand operations against Hezbollah on September 23 in an operation called Northern Arrows. In addition, the IDF began a ground operation in Lebanon on October 1. Iran launched at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on the same day.

Therefore, the Iranian foreign minister’s arrival in Beirut is of major symbolic and concrete importance.

After his arrival, Aragchi “emphasized the importance of using all the diplomatic capacities to support Lebanon and the region against the Zionist occupation regime,” Iranian state media said. He arrived with a delegation and visited the Iranian Embassy, where he met with Iran’s charge d'affaires in Beirut.

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was wounded in the exploding pagers incident back on September 17. The fact he had a Hezbollah pager illustrates how Iran works closely with Hezbollah. It also shows how its diplomats often double as connections between terrorist groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

'Unwavering' Iranian support

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei disclosed that Iran’s foreign minister had arrived in Beirut on Friday. “The Iranian delegation, accompanied by two members of parliament and the head of the Red Crescent Society, will meet with high-ranking Lebanese officials, he added.

Additionally, he underlined that a shipment of 10 tons of food and medicine would be presented to Lebanon as part of Iran's humanitarian aid,” Iranian state media IRNA noted. The Iranian diplomat is claiming “unwavering” support for the people of Lebanon.

Araghchi’s trip to Beirut came after he attended an important meeting in Qatar with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The meetings were part of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue Forum. "Delighted to be in Doha for important engagement", Araghchi said, regarding the Iranian delegation meeting the Emir of Qatar and the Prime Minister of Qatar. "On the sidelines of  The Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), [the] first Iran-Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) informal Foreign Ministers level gathering was held," he noted. "Our neighbors are our priority, strong region is our goal, and dialogue is a must," Araghchi said.

The Iranian diplomat also arrived in Beirut as Iran’s president has threatened a “stronger” and “crushing response” if Israel responds to the Iranian ballistic missile attack. Iran refers to the October 1 attack as Operation True Promise 2.

“The continuation of the atrocities committed by the Israeli regime has led to a decisive response from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and certainly, this regime will receive an even more crushing and stronger response if it commits the slightest mistake again,” Pezeshkian said.

The Iranian president held important meetings in Qatar and met top-level international leaders such as the Prime Minister of Thailand.

In the wake of the Iranian attack on Israel, various Iranian proxies have pledged support for Hezbollah and also praised the missile attack. The Houthis, for instance, put out a statement about the attack. They claimed the attack was the largest attack against Israel and said it would lead to Israel’s defeat. He also noted that the US had not been able to defend Israel, pointing to this as an aspect of the West’s weakness.