Iran on Friday condemned strikes by its arch-foe Israel on southern Lebanon, a stronghold of its close ally Hezbollah. The foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, called the strikes a "blatant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity," in a statement.
Of course, this claim is rich coming from Iran, a country that has long made a habit of trampling Lebanon’s sovereignty itself, all in the name of backing Hezbollah.
Lebanon reported that Israel's strikes on Thursday killed one person and wounded seven, while the Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah and allied groups. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks, saying civilian facilities were hit and accusing Israel of breaching a ceasefire negotiated last year between Hezbollah and Israel.
Tehran, Hezbollah’s main patron, has seen its influence dented recently, not only by these hostilities but also by the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, which severed a crucial overland supply route to Iran.
This has been a setback for Iran, already reeling from Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities during a 12-day war with Israel earlier this year.
Hezbollah and Israel agreed a truce in November, after more than a year of hostilities that culminated in two months of open war.
Baqaei also lashed out at France and the United States, guarantors of the truce, accusing them of "continued inaction and appeasement" toward Israel over what he described as the "repeated violation" of the agreement.
One can only wonder if Iran’s own disregard for Lebanese sovereignty will ever be part of this conversation.
With AFP
Comments