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TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Hamid Reza Asefi, condemned Israeli action in southern Lebanon following the capture of three Israeli soldiers by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Tehran "strongly condemns the Israeli Zionists' savage action in bombarding the defenseless people in southern Lebanon," Asefi was quoted by the Iran News daily as saying late Saturday. "The Zionist regime has reached an impasse in the current state of affairs, and is unable to reply effectively to the wave of anger, frustration and the unrest felt by Muslims all over the world, and in particular the Intifada [uprising] of the Palestinian people," he said. The Iranian official accused the Israeli government of "increasing its brutal, barbaric and threatening behavior against the local Arab population," while "making a futile bid to divert world attention ... to other regions." The foreign ministry spokesperson also called on the international community to take "swift and decisive" measures against Israel's "brutal, repressive, and horrific acts." Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, in talks Saturday with visiting Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal al-Saud, condemned the "repeated massacres of the defenseless people of Palestine by the Zionist regime." He called for a "rapid action to end the Israeli criminal acts against the Palestinian Muslims." The Saudi minister, who arrived here Saturday for talks with Iranian officials on the Palestine issue, affirmed that Tehran and Riyadh had a "common attitude" regarding the matter. Israeli helicopter gunships went into action with rockets and mortars following the Hezbollah ambush and attacks on Israeli positions, the first time since Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon in May. Lebanese police said the helicopters wounded 17 people in attacks on civilian vehicles, and an Israeli shell wounded another three in a village. Hezbollah attacked after Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinian refugees demonstrating on the Lebanese side of the border against violence in the Palestinian territories. On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said any Israeli military action against Lebanon would be "bitter" for Israel. "I don't put aside the possibility of an Israeli adventure into Lebanon," Kharazi told the Qatari television network Al-Jazeera. "Its result will be bitter for Israel which tried before with Hezbollah, which won." Iran and Syria's support for Hezbollah helped force Israel out of south Lebanon in May after 22 years of occupation. |
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