BEIRUT, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Wednesday reaffirmed the group's allegiance to Iran's leadership, congratulating Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as Iran's new supreme leader, according to a letter released by the local al-Manar news website.
In the message, Qassem welcomed Mojtaba Khamenei's selection by Iran's Assembly of Experts, describing it as a continuation of the revolutionary approach established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and upheld by the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
Qassem said Hezbollah hoped the new leadership would continue what he called the "authentic Islamic revolutionary path," adding that the group would remain faithful to the new leader as it had been to previous Iranian leaders.
He also pledged to continue confronting "occupation and aggression."
On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched an airstrike on Iran, killing Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian officials. After the strike, Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran, prompting Israel to begin bombing southern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut. ■
