Iran condemns Israeli strikes in Lebanon as “grave violation” of ceasefire

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has accused Israel of carrying out a “surprise attack” on Lebanon, describing it as a “grave violation” of the ceasefire recently agreed between the United States and Iran, The Guardian reports.

Speaking to the BBC’s Today program, Khatibzadeh said, “It was a sort of genocide, you know, by the regime of Israel in Lebanon, just immediately after the ceasefire was accepted.”

He added, “It is a type of practice that the Israeli regime has always done: accepting ceasefire, then surprise attack, massacring.”

Khatibzadeh also called on Washington to take a clear stance, saying, “The US must choose between war and ceasefire. They cannot have both at the same time.”

He emphasized the importance of adherence to the agreement, noting, “If president Trump … is interested in peace for the whole Middle East, and since Iran is committed to that, we ask everybody in the Middle East to be abided by this agreement and this ceasefire that we reached with Americans, and we expect Americans do the same with its ally, the Israeli regime.”

By Vafa Guliyeva