Iran's president-elect voices support for Hezbollah, Syrian Assad

Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani said that the Islamic republic will support the resistance movements in Lebanon and Syria against Israel, local media reported on Wednesday. In a message to Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Rouhani hailed "the efforts by Hezbollah in the resistance front," according to Tehran Times daily. Rouhani also replied to the congratulatory message of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on his election win, saying that the deep-rooted relations between Tehran and Damascus reflect the strong resolution of the two countries for broad cooperation in various areas and foiling enemy's plots, especially the Israeli " conspiracies," according to the report. He said with the efforts of the Syrian armed forces, "the resistance and great nation of Syria would pass the current juncture and maintain its independence and territorial integrity." Rouhani won the presidential election on June 14 by garnering 50.71 percent of the votes. He will take office in early August to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been ruling Iran for eight years.