Reports indicate that Iranian Ambassador Mojtaba Amani lost an eye in the attack and was wounded. Many Hezbollah members who were carrying the pagers harmed their faces when the pagers exploded because they were looking at the beeping devices when the explosions happened.
Why was Iran’s ambassador issued a Hezbollah pager? This is a question Iran has not answered. It seems clear that he was part of the Hezbollah nexus in Lebanon, likely as a critical contact with Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp. This would make it appear he was more than just a diplomat.
Iran has condemned Israel for the harm to its envoy. Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani says Tehran “will follow up on the attack against its ambassador in Lebanon, demanding the UN chief and the Security Council condemn Israel’s terrorist action against the ambassador as well as targeting of Lebanese civilians,” Iranian state media reported on September 18.
Iran has sent a letter to the head of the UN, the Security Council, and General Assembly presidents. Iran says it reserves its right under “international law” to take measures after this incident. Iran has done so before. When Israel struck a building next to the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Iran responded by launching more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel. It’s not clear how much weight Iran puts on the ambassador’s injuries. Iran calls it a “heinous crime.” Iran says that “the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns this act of sabotage and terrorism by the rogue regime of Israel.” READ MORE