Iran condemned yet another Israeli violation of Lebanese territorial integrity and sovereignty on Sunday, February 23, calling it “a vicious act of terrorism against civilians.” It claimed that Israeli warplanes flying over thousands of Lebanese in Beirut was a “deliberate” and “wicked” act of intimidation which failed.
Israeli warplanes fly over Nasrallah’s funeral
On Sunday, Esmaeil Baqaei, Spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted his country’s response to Israeli warplanes flying low over thousands of Lebanese participating in the funeral procession of former Hezbollah Chief Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah and his designated successor Hashem Safieddine.
Both Nasrallah and Safieddine were assassinated by Israel last year during its invasion of Lebanon. Nasrallah was killed in an attack on Hezbollah headquarters in southern Beirut on September 27. Scores of other Lebanese civilians were killed in the Israeli attack. Safieddine was killed a few days later on October 3 in a similar attack.
Meanwhile, several memorial ceremonies were held across Iran on the occasion of Nasrallah and Safieddine’s funeral. The participants in those memorial meetings raised slogans against the Israeli occupation and against imperialist interventions.
Israel’s invasion and destruction of Lebanon
Israel was responsible for the killing of Nasrallah, Safieddine, and thousands of other Lebanese citizens during the Israeli invasion of the country last year.
Israel bombed a large part of the country, destroying civilian infrastructure and displacing hundreds of thousands of people in an attempt to dismantle Hezbollah. The group firmly supported the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation during its war on Gaza between October 2023 and January 2025.
The main ceremony was held in the capital Tehran which was attended by several Iranian officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s Corp (IRGC) Hossein Salami.
Iranian leaders denounce Israel’s actions
Pezeshkian later told the press that Israel thought killing leaders would kill the resistance. With the number of people participating in Nasrallah’s funeral in Beirut it was clear that it was wrong to assume that, Xinhua reported.
IRGC, in a message on Monday said that the funeral held in Lebanon once again proves that Hezbollah continues to move forward with vitality, strength and determination to dismantle the occupation of al-Quds” and other “Islamic lands.” It also noted that the Israeli warplanes flying over the funeral procession only served to amplify Hezbollah’s anti-Zionist resistance on a global level.
Iranian foreign minister: the resistance will continue
The funeral procession in Beirut began with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s message in which he reiterated that despite the killing of leaders such as Nasrallah “resistance against usurpation, oppression and arrogance will never end and will continue until the ultimate goal is reached.”
Talking about Nasrallah, Iran’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs and former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called him a rational leader who “pursued the interests of people of Lebanon” and the Arab world “with great planning and precision.”
Zarif also underlined that despite Israel’s attempts to destroy it, Hezbollah remains popular in Lebanon as shown by the number of people who participated in Nasrallah’s funeral procession, IRNA reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a message written for IRNA on Nasrallah and Safieddine’s funeral, said that even if they are no longer alive their message lives and their sacrifices will inspire generations to fight against oppression and occupation.
