DAMASCUS (IRNA) -- President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is duty-bound to fully support the resistance of the Palestinian nation.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad Movement of Palestine Ramadan Abdullah Shalah in Damascus on Thursday. At the meeting, the Iranian president underlined that the Palestinian groups should forge unity and continue resistance to attain victory. The time is now ripe to put up vigilant defense to safeguard genuine Islam, he said. ""Great victories will be attained after hardships,"" he said, calling on the Palestinian nation as well as resistance and Jihadi groups to forge unity and solidarity. The Islamic Republic of Iran will spare no efforts to assist the Palestinian nation and will fulfill its grave responsibility to this end, he said. The Zionist regime has suffered heavy defeats in recent years, he said, adding that the usurper regime was now seeking to redress its tarnished image and make good on its debacles. For this reason, regional countries, Palestinians and Lebanese should maintain their vigilance. Some of recent seditious acts and conspiracies in Palestine were masterminded by the Zionist regime, Ahmadinejad said, adding that no doubt that they try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible in order to mastermind other plots in the region. Unity, solidarity, patience and resistance are the key to success for the Palestinian resistance movement, he said. The secretary general of the Islamic Jihad movement, for his part, briefed the Iranian president on the latest developments in Palestine and called on Iran and other Arab and Islamic countries to help end civil war in Palestine and strengthen the Islamic movement.