Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri published an extraordinary message ahead of Ali Khamenei's funeral, calling the late Supreme Leader 'a nation in one body' and an 'eternal model.' Berri linked the Lebanese resistance to the Islamic Revolution and justified wartime destruction as necessary sacrifice, according to a statement.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri issued an unusually personal and effusive statement on Thursday evening, just hours before the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Berri, who also heads the Amal movement, described Khamenei as 'a nation in one body' and an 'eternal model,' and said the late leader served as a 'blazing sun' that charted his path. The statement directly linked the legacy of Lebanese Imam Musa Sadr to the Islamic Revolution of Khomeini and Khamenei, signaling a deep ideological alignment.
Berri's message comes amid a period of intense diplomatic activity around Lebanon, including negotiations over a U.S.-brokered framework deal that Berri has publicly rejected. The speaker admitted that Lebanon 'was destroyed, villages were erased, and there remains a sea of martyrs and wounded,' but he did not express regret. Instead, he justified the sacrifice as necessary to preserve the 'fire of the values of the resistance' and Khamenei's will.
The statement is likely to reinforce perceptions of Berri as a loyal ally of Iran, even as he navigates domestic pressures and international negotiations. It remains unclear whether the statement reflects a coordinated position with Hezbollah or a personal gesture.
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