FILE — In this Oct. 20, 2016 file photo, Christian leader Michel Aoun speaks to journalists in Beirut, Lebanon. The newly elected Lebanese President Michel Aoun arrived in Egypt for the first time since his inauguration, shortly after defending the militant group Hezbollah’s arms role in a Sunday interview with Egyptian TV network CBC. Aoun’s visit is the first for the former army commander to Egypt in 55 years. He was elected in October after a 29-month vacuum in the country’s top post. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group says the world will benefit from having an “idiot” in the White House.

Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech Sunday that his group is much stronger than when it was created in the early 1980s and should not be concerned about threats from the West.

Referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, Nasrallah said “we are very optimistic that when an idiot settles in the White House and boasts about his idiocy, this is the beginning of relief for the oppressed around the world.”

Trump has vowed to take a stronger stance against Iran, which is a key sponsor of Hezbollah and other militant groups in the Middle East. The White House said Iran was “on notice” after it tested a ballistic missile.