Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif congratulated the Lebanese people and Hezbollah Resistance Movement on the anniversary of the liberation of South Lebanon from the Israeli occupation 16 years ago.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif congratulated the Lebanese people and Hezbollah Resistance Movement on the anniversary of the liberation of South Lebanon from the Israeli occupation 16 years ago.

In separate messages to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Lebanese Foreign Minister Jebran Basil on Wednesday, Zarif offered congratulations to the Lebanese government and army as well as Hezbollah fighters on the Liberation Day.

Describing the event as a “golden page” in the history of Lebanon and the region, he said the victory could not have happened without the endeavors of Resistance Movement fighters and the wise leadership of the Hezbollah chief.

Zarif further reiterated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for the Lebanese nation, government and army and wished glory for the “great nation” of Lebanon.

Lebanon on Wednesday commemorated the 16th anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from the country, known as Resistance and Liberation Day.

Hezbollah forced the Israeli military out of the southern parts of Lebanon on May 25, 2000, after more than two decades of occupation.

People in Lebanon consider May 25 as a beginning of dramatic change in the region.

The Lebanese commemorate the day as a national holiday and see it as a transformation that changed the regional equations for good, and put an end to the invincibility myth of the Israeli military.