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Nasrallah Joins Ahmadinejad and Assad for Talks in Syria | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Nasrallah (not seen) Syria’s President Assad and Iran’s President Ahmadinejad attend an official dinner in Damascus February 25, 2010 (REUTERS)


Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Nasrallah (not seen) Syria's President Assad and Iran's President Ahmadinejad attend an official dinner in Damascus February 25, 2010 (REUTERS)

Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Nasrallah (not seen) Syria’s President Assad and Iran’s President Ahmadinejad attend an official dinner in Damascus February 25, 2010 (REUTERS)

Damascus, Tel Aviv and Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Friday evening and discussed ways to strengthen and support the resistance in the face of Israeli threats.

Well-informed Iranian sources said to Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks dealt with Israel’s threats to Lebanon and Syria. The sources added that the meeting took place at President Ahmadinejad’s place of residence at the Syrian Al Shaab Palace. A formal dinner was held by Syrian President Bashar al Assad in honour of President Ahmadinejad.

Sources stated that following the dinner, President Ahmadinejad visited the shrine of Sayyida Ruqaya and on his return he met with Nasrallah again as they held another round of talks that lasted for more than two hours. Iranian sources said that during his meeting with Nasrallah, Ahmadinejad stressed that “the Zionist entity is worried about the resistance in Lebanon and the region.” Moreover, Nasrallah affirmed that the resistance was ready to counter any attack.

The Al Manar TV was the only media agency covering the meeting between Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah. The meeting was only filmed by Al Manar and the personal cameraman of President Ahmadinejad.

A source within Hezbollah told Asharq Al-Awsat that the three-way meeting “came as an initial and decisive response to the calls made by the US for Syria to break its alliance with Iran.”

Hussein Rahal, a Hezbollah spokesman, said that Syria had never abandoned the option of resistance.

Nasrallah’s arrival in Damascus to meet Ahmadinejad and Assad came as a shock to Israel. Reliable sources said that the Israeli government sent a message to Washington asking the US not to send a US envoy to Syria.

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, speaks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, upon their arrival for a dinner, in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 25, 2010 (AP)

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, speaks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, upon their arrival for a dinner, in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 25, 2010 (AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak (L) speak to reporters after their meeting at the State Department  in Washington February 26, 2010 (REUTERS)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak (L) speak to reporters after their meeting at the State Department in Washington February 26, 2010 (REUTERS)