First Edition of Iranian Hezbollah's Newspaper Praises 'Islamic Resistance'

TEHRAN, Iran – The first edition of a newspaper owned by the Iranian version of Hezbollah appeared on newsstands Tuesday with messages of support for its Lebanese cousins in their fight against Israel.

The first edition of "Hezbollah" carried no significant report on the current fighting in Lebanon.

"We have concentrated all our activities to support the Islamic resistance in the region. It is under psychological war," Iranian Hezbollah spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli told The Associated Press.

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The fighting in Lebanon began July 12, when Hezbollah guerrillas crossed the southern Lebanese border and seized two Israeli soldiers. More than 390 people in Lebanon and more than 40 Israelis have been killed in the past 14 days of Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks.

"Despite poor weapons, Lebanese Hezbollah, supported by its strong faith, has been able to resist the well-equipped Israeli army," the paper wrote.

Earlier this month, Iran's Hezbollah, which is one of the Iranian patrons of the Lebanese Hezbollah, said as many as 2,000 fighters were ready to travel to Lebanon if asked to do so by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

However, such a request is unlikely since the Iranian government has insisted it will not be drawn into the fighting. It claims that its support for the Lebanese group is limited to political matters.

Iran's Hezbollah, or "Party of God," was formed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Lebanese version was formed in 1982 after Israel invaded Lebanon.

Bigdeli said the Iranian Hezbollah plans to launch a satellite television channel in the next few months.