Ahmadinejad in Lebanon to tour Israeli border

The Iranian president’s first visit to Lebanon has angered Israel and the government in Beirut.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in Lebanon today on a trip that many fear could fuel unrest in the Middle East. Ahmadinejad’s government provides support to Hezbollah, the military and political force that rivals the Beirut government for control of Lebanon and fought a lopsided war against Israel in 2006. Ahmadinejad plans to visit Bint Jbeil, a town on the Israeli border that was devastated by Israeli strikes in 2006, and there are rumours he plans to throw stones over the Israeli border in the traditional display of defiance. He’ll also meet with President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, but more politically significant, and likely divisive, will be his meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.