Rallies mark al-Quds Day in Iran

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Thousands of people have held protests in Iran, Pakistan and Lebanon to mark al-Quds Day, the annual anti-Israel commemoration. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad railed against Israel and the West. He called the Holocaust a pretext for occupying Arab land.

In Iran, thousands of government-backed supporters held protests in Tehran on Friday.

At Tehran University, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the Holocaust as a lie. He condemned Western countries as supporters of Israel's crimes, saying Palestinian people have no freedom or human rights.

In Pakistan, Muslims gathered to express solidarity with Palestinian people.

Aftab Haider Jaffery, Shi'ite Cleric, said, "Today, setting aside their differences, Muslims in Pakistan and around the world, are marking the day on the behest of Imam Khumaini."

There were similar scenes in Lebanon. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Israel is an illegal entity that must cease to exist.

Al-Quds Day was established in 1979 by Iran's leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhullah Khomeini as a mark of support for the Palestinian cause. The day falls on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.