Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who arrived in Lebanon on Sunday met Hassan Nasrallah the leader of the militant group Hezbollah.

In recent days, Hezbollah has been pushing the idea of Lebanon officially accepting Iranian military assistance, which Zarif earlier said Iran would be looking forward to.

Nasrallah in his meeting with Zarif thanked Iran for its support, as Hezbollah has been receiving life-sustaining financial and military aid from Iran for more than three decades.

Zarif on his part underscored Iran’s readiness to support the Lebanese government and the “resistance”, as Hezbollah labels itself, claiming it saved the country from Israeli “aggression”.

The Lebanese state and government is a complex system among the many religious communities of the country, often with diverging interests and foreign alliances. It is hard to see the Lebanese government aligning itself with the Islamic Republic.

Israel, which regards Iran and Hezbollah as its sworn enemies will not tolerate any breach in official Lebanese alliance with Tehran.