国际英语新闻：Iranian president wraps up visit to Lebanon

Ahmadinejad hailed what he called Lebanon's resistance against Israel, adding that Israel will sooner or later perish.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to reply and dismissed Ahmadinejad's comments as a "hateful verbal aggression from across the border."

Also on Thursday, Israeli troops were seen conducting extensive patrols along the border with Lebanon, while Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Ahmadinejad had brought a message of "violence and extremism" to Lebanon.

"The world should realize the Zionists will perish ... today Lebanon is alive and is a role model for countries in the region," the Iranian president said.

Ahmadinejad's visit to south Lebanon on Thursday was the first one for an Iranian head of state. Mainly Shiite Muslim country Iran has funded and supported Hezbollah since its establishment in the 1980s.

Following the 2006 summer war with Israel, Iran has contributed to relief and reconstruction efforts of the battered south Lebanon villages and the Beirut southern suburbs, better known as Dahiyeh.

On his second stop in south Lebanon's Qana, the Iranian president also placed a wreath on the memorials of Lebanese who were killed during Israeli raids on the south Lebanese town of Qana in 1996 and 2006.