TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abadollahian left Tehran for Muscat on Tuesday at the invitation of his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi. 

The Iranian foreign ministry said Amir Abdollahian is leading a political delegation. He will meet senior Omani officials to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues, according to the ministry.

The Iranian foreign minister will also arrive in the Lebanese capital on Wednesday in a two-day visit that will include meetings with senior Lebanese officials, according to Lebanese news website El-Nashra. 

In Beirut, Amir Abdollahian will meet with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bu Habib on Thursday. 

The visit comes after a flare-up between Israel and Lebanon. Israel committed aggression against southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip after Palestinian elements fired rockets at Israel from there. 

Iran condemned the Israeli aggression. The spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said earlier this month that the Israeli attacks were in continuation of Israel’s sacrilege of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its attack against Palestinian worshipers.

The Israeli attacks, Kanaani said, are a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and are also a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the human rights of the oppressed Palestinian nation. 

Kanaani urged an effective and deterring reaction by the international community to Israel’s aggressions.

After the flareup, the Iranian president and the foreign minister held phone conversations with some counterparts in Islamic countries and the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to urge an emergency meeting of the OIC. 

Kanaani emphasized the need for Islamic governments to adopt a strong and coherent position in support of the oppressed Palestinian nation, prevent the repetition of the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and stop the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime.