Iranian President lays claim to Lebanon's southern border which he will visit during official tour; Lebanese official calls visit "a provocation."
By JPOST.COM STAFFAhmadinejad Pinstripes 311(photo credit: Associated Press)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit what he has reportedly called "Iran's border with Israel" during a trip to Lebanon later this month, referring to the Lebanese southern border.Ahmadinejad is due to spend two days holding meetings and traveling the country over the course of an official tour beginning October 13th.RELATED:Ahmadinejad: US orchestrated 9/11 to save Zionist regimeSyrian president urges Lebanon to support HizbullahForeign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP on Friday that Ahmadinejad's trip was "very worrying for anyone who is concerned about the stability of Lebanon and of the Middle East.”The Iranian president is set to meet with top Lebanese officials as well as Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the course of his two days in the country.According to AFP's report, some Lebanese parliamentary members have been angered by Ahmadinejad's impending visit. “His visit to the south would be a provocation, he doesn’t need to go there,” Fares Souaid, coordinator of the “March 14” alliance, said. He added that the Iranian president would be implying that Lebanon was under Iranian influence.Last week, London-based paper Al-Quds al Arabi reported that Ahmadinejad plans to throw a rock at Israel to demonstrate his hatred on his planned trip to Lebanon.One event the Iranian president is currently slated to attend is the inauguration of a garden in southern Lebanon, during which Ahmadinejad plans to throw the rock, according to Al-Quds.Hizbullah operatives are reportedly providing security for the Iranian president on his trip to Lebanon.
