A ceremony was held in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday on the occasion of the anniversary of the demise of Imam Khomeini.

Many Lebanese figures said they believed Imam Khomeini's concept of resistance against imperialism has proven truthful considering the current trend in the Middle East.

“After almost 30 years it turned out, as we expected, that Imam Khomeini was right. And the people of Iran and every country, person or political party that stood with the oppressed turned out to be right,” said Emile Lahoud, a former Lebanese lawmaker.

Mohsen Saleh, a Lebanese academic, also said “Imam Khomeini was this historic figure who really became a symbol for all the people who wanted to liberate their country, their people, their resources, their way of thinking, and religion.”

In 1961, Ayatollah Khomeini became a Shia source of emulation and gradually entered the political arena. He began anti-Pahlavi activities in January 1963, when Pahlavi monarch Mohammad-Reza Shah announced his White Revolution reform program.

The Iranian nation toppled the US-backed Pahlavi regime in 1979, ending the 2,500 years of monarchic rule in the country.

The Islamic Revolution spearheaded by the late Imam Khomeini established a new political system based on Islamic values and democracy.

Imam Khomeini changed the lives of Iranians and inspired countless others in the world by guiding one of the greatest revolutionary movements of modern history to victory.

Ayatollah Khomeini passed away on June 3, 1989, eleven days after he was taken to hospital for an operation to stop internal bleeding.

BA/BA