The visit to Beirut, where Argahchi, among other things, met Prime Minister Najib Mikati, is the first since the clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Shia militia Hizbollah in Lebanon escalated.
After the large-scale attacks in September, when hundreds of persons and walkie-talkies linked to Hizbollah exploded, Israel has carried out bombing raids against the extremist movement on Lebanese soil and, among other things, killed Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Iran responded this week by firing 200 drones, some of them hypersonic, in a comprehensive attack on Israel.
The Islamic Republic of Iran stands and will steadfastly stand by the side of friends in Lebanon, says Araghchi – and clarifies that this applies to both Lebanon and the Shia militia Hizbollah, and that it was "necessary to say personally".
Iran will "respond proportionally" to Israel's attacks while talks are ongoing with other countries to achieve a ceasefire, says Araghchi according to the Turkish news agency Anatolia's post on X.
AFP writes that the Foreign Minister is backing efforts to achieve parallel ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.
Over the past year, border shelling between Hizbollah strongholds in Lebanon and Israel has occurred almost daily. The Iran-allied Hizbollah's military branch is terrorist-listed by several countries.
