Iran denies Hezbollah's retreat from Syria

 Iran denied on Tuesday that Lebanese Hezbollah militants will retreat from Syria, Tehran Times daily reported.

It is propaganda by enemies ill-disposed to the resistance movement in the region, Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior advisor of Iran's Supreme Leader, was quoted as saying.

"The news about the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces in Syria after the ceasefire is not true, but it is part of the enemies' propaganda claims," Velayati said in a joint press conference with the visiting former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday.

The Iranian official made the comments in reaction to the recent media reports that Tehran has backed down from its previous stances in Syria, including the status of Hezbollah militants in the country, after a tripartite meeting with Russia and Turkey in Moscow last month.

According to the report, Hezbollah officials have insisted that the militants of the Lebanese party would remain in Syria after the ceasefire.

Velayati stressed that the Islamic republic of Iran will continue to back the resistance fronts, including Hezbollah, "fully and continuously."

source: Xinhua