Israel Seeks to Abduct Iranian Diplomats

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Sheybani said the Zionist regime had threatened to bomb the embassy complex and kidnap Iranian diplomats in Beirut. The envoy told FNA correspondent in Lebanon that during the 33-day war on Lebanon, the Zionist regime embarked on extensive bombing of Shiite-residing areas adjacent to the Islamic Republic embassy in Beirut.

“Yet, despite Israel’s official threats and frequent bombing of the embassy building, all the mission staffers continued fulfilling their duties,” he said.

Sheybani added, “The Zionist regime also made some baseless allegations about settlement of (Lebanese Hezbollah leader) Seyed Hassan Nasrallah in the underground story of the Islamic Republic embassy in Beirut claiming that the war management on the side of the Lebanese was directed from inside the embassy underground.”

“Consequently, they started posing formal threats to the embassy and its staffers. To undermine the diplomatic activities of the Islamic Republic in Lebanon, analysts of the Zionist regime officially proposed abduction of Iranian diplomats through helliborne operations,” he said, adding, “But all these measures and threats failed to deter our extensive diplomatic activities and we succeeded in practicing a powerful diplomacy for supporting Lebanon and its oppressed people.”