TEHRAN – Samir Al-Quntar and a number of other Lebanese POWs held separate meetings with Expediency Council chairman Hashemi Rafsanjani and President Mamhmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday.

Samir Al-Quntar is a Lebanese Druze resistance fighter and a former member of the Palestine Liberation Front who was captured by Israeli forces in 1979 when he was just 16. He spent nearly three decades in prison before being released on July 16, 2008 as part of an Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap.
The meeting with the top Iranian officials came just a few weeks after the Israeli military failed to achieve its goal of defeating resistance movement in Gaza despite 22 days of brutal attacks on Palestinians.
Israel suffered a more humiliating defeat in its 33-day war against Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 in which 110 Israeli soldiers were killed.
Rafsanjani praised successive victories of Hezbollah and Hamas over the Israeli army in the 33-day and 22-day wars.
“Resistance of the Lebanese people in the 33-day war and also the recent events in Gaza and the resistance of Palestinian people proved the weakness of the Zionist regime,” Rafsanjani said in the meeting.
Rafsanjani regretted the silence of the international organizations and human rights bodies for their silence over the killings of civilians by Israeli army.
Rafsanjani went on to say that “Islamic countries have a great responsibility to counter the Zionist regime.”
He also said Lebanese and Palestinians have a “high spirit” in confronting Israel.
“This spirit can lead to final victory.”
For his part, Al-Quntar said resistance against Israel is fed by the Iranian people’s resistance against global arrogance.
“The victory of the Islamic Revolution strengthened resistance in Lebanon and Palestine.”
-----------Resistance heralds a bright future
President Ahmadinejad also said resistance against the Zionist regime will promise a “bright” future.
He said Israeli leaders only know “how to kill”.
The president said Israeli leaders know that they have been “discredited” among the people in the world and they are just “scrambling” to prolong their lives for some years.
“Today, the supporters of the Zionist regime also know that this regime” will cease to exist, the president predicted.
He also said the situation in the region and the world has changed greatly in comparison to the last 30 years.
“Today the cover on the ugly face of corrupts in the world has been removed, nations have become vigilant, hearts have been filled with faith… and collapse of corrupt powers has started.”
The president also lauded the Hezbollah resistance movement in Lebanon.
“Today, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah is source of pride for all libertarians and the faithful in the region and the world.