Carol Rizk
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be transported by helicopter to South Lebanon along with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Sleiman, a well-informed source told the Central News Agency on Wednesday.
Ahmadinejad is expected to visit Lebanon on October 13, for a two-day official visit on the invitation of Sleiman. The visit sparked political controversy inside and outside Lebanon but was seen as supportive of “Lebanon’s stability,” by Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Ghazanfar Roknabadi, in comments on Wednesday.
The well-informed source from south Lebanon told the CNA that Iranian president would be transported along with Sleiman by helicopter and would kick off the tour by visiting the village of Qana.
He will then move on to Maroun al-Ras, Bint Jbeil and Kfarkala, where he is expected to inaugurate an Iranian funded garden near the Fatima Gate. The president will also have lunch with Sleiman and dinner with Speaker Nabih Berri.
He might also visit the Beaufort castle, the Resistance museum in Mlita and a number of Resistance martyrs memorials.
The source added that the tour would be accompanied by intensified security measures from the parts of the Lebanese Army, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Hizbullah, and Ahmadinejad’s own security team.
“Iranian security and media teams arrived to South Lebanon and they coordinated the details of the visit with the Army and Hizbullah,” the source said, stressing that only a few places would be visited due to security reasons.
The visit will be Ahmadinejad’s first to Lebanon since taking office in 2005 but it has sparked great controversy since being announced and has raised fears of a potential escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Over the past week, Israel has sent warning messages to Lebanese leaders saying the visit should be canceled as it would undermine regional stability and the Middle East peace talks.
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