Tehran condemns Israel’s use of the Majdal Shams incident as a pretext for an attack on Lebanon

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has issued a stern warning to Israel, urging the country to refrain from any “adventurism” toward Lebanon and using Saturday’s attack on Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights as a pretext.

“After ten months of mass murder in the Gaza Strip and the massacre of Palestinian women and children, the Israeli apartheid regime is trying to deceive public opinion with a fabricated scenario to divert the world’s attention from the crimes it is committing on a large scale in Palestine,” Kanaani said on Sunday, stressing that Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance movement and senior Lebanese officials have denied any involvement in the Majdal Shams attacks.

“The Zionist regime does not have the moral authority to judge or condemn the incidents in the Majdal Shams region, and the regime’s claims about other incidents are ignored,” Kanaani added.

He also stressed the responsibility of the international community, and in particular the UN Security Council, to preserve the stability and security of Lebanon and the region in the face of Israeli aggression.

“Any foolish action by the Zionist regime can lead to the expansion of instability, insecurity and war in the region. In this case, the said regime will definitely be responsible for the unforeseen consequences and reactions to the foolish behavior,” Kanaani warned.

Kanaani also addressed the US government, calling on it to fulfill its “international and moral duties” by working for global peace and security. He condemned the US for continuously supplying Israel with weapons of mass destruction and “putting the regime’s criminal prime minister on a pedestal” after months of atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. “The US should prevent the Zionist regime from igniting a new fire,” he advised.

Israel claims Hezbollah was responsible for Saturday’s deadly attack in the occupied Golan Heights that killed 10 people. The regime reported airstrikes on Sunday on Hezbollah weapons depots and infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley, Shabriha and Burj el-Shemali near Tyre, and on villages such as Kafr Lila, Rab el-Thalathine, Khiam and Tayr Harfa.

Hezbollah has “categorically denied” any involvement in the attack. There are reports that the incident was most likely the result of a misfired Israeli interceptor missile.