TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday welcomed the election of his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun after the country went more than two years without a head of state, saying unity will “defeat” Israel.

“There is no doubt that reinforcement of stability and unity will defeat the greed of the Zionist enemy against Lebanese territory,” Pezeshkian said in a message to Aoun published by the official IRNA news agency after his election on Thursday.

Pezeshkian expressed hope that “this election will bring political stability, economic growth and greater progress as well as peace and comfort to the dear people of Lebanon.”

Lebanon’s army chief elected president, showing regional shifts

He added that Iran was ready to further develop cooperation with Lebanon “in all areas”.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, a political heavyweight that was weakened by a year of war with Israel and the ouster in Syria of its ally president Bashar al-Assad.

After his election, Aoun vowed that the state would have “a monopoly” on weapons in Lebanon.