His remarks came amid fears that his trip could threaten Lebanon's fragile political stability.

Crowds greeted Mr Ahmadinejad on his arrival in Beirut, mostly at the urging of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.

He later addressed a rally in an area where Iran funded reconstruction after the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel conflict.

On Thursday, in a move likely to anger critics, Mr Ahmadinejad will tour villages near Lebanon's tense southern border with Israel.

Two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and a senior Israeli army officer were killed in a clash on the frontier in August.