Iran backs Lebanon in ceasefire talks with Israel

Iran will back any decision taken by Lebanon in talks to secure a ceasefire with Israel, a senior Iranian official said, signaling Tehran wants to see an end to a conflict.

Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran's supreme leader, spoke during a visit to Beirut as Israel kept up its intensified bombardment of Hezbollah-controlled areas of the Lebanese capital.

The US ambassador to Lebanon submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is endorsed by Hezbollah to negotiate, two senior Lebanese political sources said.

The draft was Washington's first written proposal to halt fighting between its ally Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in at least several weeks, the sources said. The sources did not provide details about the contents of the proposal.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Berri, Larijani said Berri had provided him with "good clarifications."

"We are not seeking to disrupt anything," Larijani said, responding to a reporter who asked whether he had come to Beirut to wreck the American draft.

"We are seeking to resolve issues. Under all circumstances, we stand in support of the people of Lebanon. Those who create disruption are Netanyahu and those like him. Let us recognize our friends and enemies," Larijani said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Meanwhile Iran displayed a number of its missiles and defense systems at a museum in Tehran as tensions remain high in the region.

Ballistic missiles form an important part of Iran's arsenal and were used in its Oct. 1 strike on Israel, an attack that Israel responded to on Oct. 26 with raids on Iranian military sites.

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence says Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the Middle East.

Iran says its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US, Israel and other potential regional targets. It denies seeking nuclear weapons capability.