Iran Condemns Israeli Assassination of Hezbollah Spokesman

In a statement on Sunday night, Spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei roundly condemned the Zionist regime’s aggressive and terrorist attack on a residential building in Beirut, which led to the martyrdom of Afif.

He stated that the move is another indication of the inhumane nature of the Zionist regime, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

The spokesperson offered his condolences to the leadership of Hezbollah, the great al-Nabulsi family, and the resilient people of Lebanon on the martyrdom of Afif.

Afif was the resonant voice of the Lebanese people and a symbol of belief in the mission of raising awareness and enlightening public opinion about the oppression and rebellion of the occupying and racist Zionist regime, Baqaei added.  

He noted that until the last moments of his blessed life, Afif strived to convey the truth and the plight of the Lebanese and Palestinian people to the world.

The Iranian spokesman said over 200 journalists and media personnel have been killed by the Zionist regime in the past year.

He described the assassination of media staff as a targeted crime aimed at advancing the genocide scheme and the eradication of Palestine, intended to intimidate the media and force them to stop reporting on the Zionist regime’s crimes.

The spokesperson also highlighted the prohibition of attacks on journalists and media staff under international humanitarian law, especially the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

He slammed the assassination of Afif and other journalists in Lebanon and Gaza as war crimes and called for serious action by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute and punish the heads of the Israeli regime.

Baqaei expressed confidence that the blood of Afif would further disgrace the Israeli regime and its accomplices and supporters, and will boost the Lebanese and Palestinian people’s resolve for legitimate resistance against occupation and apartheid.