TEHRAN, July 22 (Mehr News Agency) -- Iran will never militarily interfere in the war between Israel and Lebanon, Chairman of the Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff Major General Seyyed Hassan Firuzabadi said here on Saturday.

"The officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran want to tread the path of construction and only provide Lebanon's Hezbollah with political, diplomatic, and spiritual support," Firuzabadi told reporters on the sidelines of an Expediency Council session.

The war on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip was actually planned by the United States and Britain as part of their Greater Middle East Initiative, he added.

"Israel is seeking to help materialize the Greater Middle East Initiative by trying to eradicate Hezbollah and its resistance forces," he noted.

However, the Lebanese will triumph over the Zionist regime by relying on their faith and patriotism, he said.

"We are not aware of Hezbollah's military capabilities, but we know that almost every Lebanese family has a member in the Islamic group, so the war will end in favor of the Lebanese people," he observed.

Israel began its assault after Hezbollah captured two soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border raid on July 12. It has also waged a military campaign in Gaza since June 28 to recover another soldier, seized by Palestinian militants.