Hezbollah has urged Lebanese authorities to mend their relationship with Iran and benefit from Tehran’s support, days after Iran struck Israel in response to bombardment on south Beirut, AFP reports.

Last week, Lebanon’s president and prime minister issued pointed calls for Tehran to stop alleged interference in their country’s affairs, after Hezbollah rejected a conditional ceasefire with Israel.

“We call on the Lebanese authorities to seize the opportunity available and correct their official relationship with the Islamic republic in a way that serves the interest of both states,” a Hezbollah statement said.

Hezbollah said Iran’s attack on Israel “in defence of our Lebanese people is a message of the Islamic republic’s commitment, morally, politically and on the ground, towards Lebanon”.

It urged Lebanese authorities to “use this Iranian support to achieve our national objectives, particularly in light of the formation of a new regional umbrella that has emerged from the Islamabad negotiations”.