Abbas Araghchi Reaffirms Iran’s Support for Lebanon’s Sovereignty on Resistance And Liberation Day

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence in messages to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem on the anniversary of “Resistance and Liberation Day.”

“AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, said in a speech on the occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day, "Anyone who contributed to the resistance shares in the liberation and victory achieved by the resistance”

ABNA English

Araghchi stressed Iran’s continued support for Lebanon’s independence and territorial integrity and described Lebanon’s “legitimate resistance” against Israeli occupation in the messages carried by وكالة سبأ.

ABNA English

Lebanon marks the occasion on May 25 each year, commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from most of southern Lebanon in 2000 after more than two decades of occupation, according to the same report.

In parallel, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem linked the anniversary to a broader resistance narrative, saying in a speech that “Anyone who contributed to the resistance shares in the liberation and victory achieved by the resistance.”

Hezbollah chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani, said Palestinian resistance will pave the way for the liberation of al-Qud by drawing parallels to resistance victories in Iran and Lebanon.

Qa’ani referred to the May 24, 1982, liberation of Khorramshahr during the Iran-Iraq war and said it set the stage for the “glorious epic” of May 25, 2000, when Hezbollah expelled the Israeli regime from southern Lebanon.

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In his remarks, Qa’ani said, “During that withdrawal, the Israeli army fled while their radios were still on, and all their equipment was left behind in the trenches,” as he argued the resistance path would repeat for “dear Palestine today and heroic Lebanon.”

Lebanon’s own officials framed the day as constrained by ongoing fighting, with President Joseph Aoun calling May 25 “a day of comprehensive national dignity” while saying this year’s anniversary came as southern villages continued to face Israeli attacks and what he described as a renewed occupation in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam used a different register on X, calling for solidarity with “the families of the martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, the displaced, and our steadfast people in the South and the frontline villages.”

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem used the anniversary to reject disarmament and to argue that surrendering resistance weapons would open the door to occupation and annihilation.

In the speech coverage, Qassem warned, “Disarming the resistance is, in fact, disarming Lebanon's defensive power to pave the way for the destruction of the country, and this is something we will never accept.”

He also rejected direct negotiations with the Zionist regime, saying, “Direct negotiations with the Zionist regime are rejected because they only benefit this regime,” while calling for an end to Zionist aggressions, the complete withdrawal of the regime from occupied Lebanese territories, the release of prisoners, and the return of displaced Lebanese.

At the same time, the Iranian-linked narrative in the coverage tied the political stakes to the anniversary’s historical milestones, with Qassem’s remarks describing the humiliating May 17 Agreement as collapsing in 1984 and presenting the 2000 withdrawal as a result of resistance strikes forcing the enemy to withdraw from the border area.

The Arab News account added a concrete immediate consequence of the conflict for civilians, saying residents of 10 villages in the south were ordered to evacuate on Monday amid ongoing bombardment and growing fears of escalation along the border.