An Iranian militant group of the same name begins publishing a paper. The first issue says very little about the war but expresses strong praise for its "Lebanese" cousins, who, armed only with their faith, resist Israel.

Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The first issue of Hezbollah, a publication by a militant Iranian group of the same name, has hit newsstands. Its cover page carries messages of support for the movement's Lebanese branch.

It says very little about the war between the Lebanese Islamist group and the Israeli army, but heaps a lot of praise and expresses support for its cousins' armed stand against the "Israelite devil".

"Despite poor weapons, Lebanese Hezbollah, supported by its strong faith, has been able to resist the well-equipped Israeli army," the paper's editorial said.

Earlier this month, Iran's Hezbollah, which is one of the Iranian patrons of the Lebanese Hezbollah, said up to 2,000 fighters were ready to travel to Lebanon if asked to do so by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.

The Iranian government has insisted it will not be drawn into the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. It claims that its support for the Lebanese group is limited to political matters.

Some sources said that, in addition to the paper, Iranian Hezbollah plans to launch a satellite television channel in the next few months also called Hezbollah.

• iran
• lebanon
• hezbollah
• paper
• satellite
• tv