Lebanese Army soldiers secure the site of a r
Lebanese Army soldiers secure the site of a rReuters

Iran said Sunday it is ready to provide aid to the Lebanese army as well as the Hezbollah group to help combat "terrorists", reports The Associated Press (AP).

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted by state TV as saying that "supporting the Lebanese nation, army and resistance will still remain on Iran's agenda."

"Iran is ready to transfer its experience in order to improve security in Lebanon and the region, and to combat terrorists," he added, speaking during a meeting with visiting Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel.

Moqbel also met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, noted AP.

Iran is a main backer of Hezbollah, which is widely seen as being more powerful than the Lebanese army.

Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan has said Tehran is ready to provide modern military equipment and strategic assistance to the Lebanese army to help it combat Sunni extremists.

During a meeting with Moqbel on Saturday, Dehqan said such aid would have the aim of "consolidating national authority and reinforcing security in Lebanon," according to AP.

Hezbollah, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, has recently had its attention and resources diverted to Syria, where it is helping to prop up the regime of Bashar Al-Assad against an array of Sunni rebel forces.

Just recently fighting between Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda's Nusra Front left eight Hezbollah terrorists dead.

The civil war in neighboring Syria has left Lebanon deeply divided, with Sunnis supporting the Sunni-led rebels and Hezbollah continuing to assist Assad's forces. In August the violence spilled across the border when Syrian Islamists briefly overran the border town of Arsal, killing and kidnapping several Lebanese soldiers and police.