Conflicting Reports on the Blindness of the Islamic Republic's Ambassador Following Pager Explosion; Users: 'Moses' Soldiers Took Revenge on Iranian Youth'

While the wife of Mojtaba Amani, the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Beirut, who was injured in the simultaneous explosion of thousands of Hezbollah Lebanon pagers, claims he is in good condition, some government sources reported that Mojtaba Amani's eyes and face have suffered 'serious damage.' This incident has been described by users as 'revenge by Iranian youth at the hands of Moses' soldiers.' Following questions from citizens on social media about why the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Beirut had special pagers used by members of the Hezbollah militia, Mojtaba Amani's wife stated in a video interview on Wednesday, September 28, that the exploded pagers were 'used in various sections' and that 'ordinary citizens' were among the injured. According to his wife's claims, he 'was somewhat injured due to the use of this pager, and the condition is not critical and is under control.' However, some media figures close to the Islamic Republic, including Hossein Soleimani, editor of Mashregh News, stated that the 'injuries sustained by the ambassador' were 'very severe in the eye area.' Some unofficial sources have also reported the possibility of Mojtaba Amani becoming blind as a result of the pager explosion. For instance, the government newspaper Kayhan wrote on its Telegram channel on Tuesday, September 27: 'Reports indicate that contrary to claims of superficial injuries to the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon, his face and eyes have suffered serious damage.' A group of users on social media reacted to reports of the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Lebanon being injured and the possibility of his blindness, describing the incident as 'blessed' and as 'revenge by Iranian youth at the hands of Moses' soldiers.' 'Moses' soldiers' is a term some users use to refer to Israeli forces. Although Hezbollah officials pointed the finger at Israel after the simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers belonging to this group, which resulted in thousands being injured and 12 deaths, Israeli officials have yet to comment on the matter. Some Iranian users also reacted to these explosions with the hashtag 'Labayk Ya Netanyahu.' For example, Ali Karimi, a popular Iranian football figure and opponent of the Islamic Republic, used this hashtag and reminded that 'the anniversary of the children of the land of Iran is approaching,' addressing the Israeli Prime Minister: 'Hit, Bibi, you are hitting well! May it be a balm for the heart of Iran and Iranians.' Amir Hossein Mir Asmaeili, a journalist outside Iran, reacted to reports of the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Lebanon being injured and the blindness of 'one of his eyes' and 'the severity of the other eye's condition' due to the pager explosion, referencing reports from the New York Times and Tasnim, writing on social media: 'Innocent youth of the homeland were killed and blinded, now they are being killed and blinded one by one. Congratulations.' Nasser Khushnuis, a political activist residing in Europe, also stated that 'the injuries sustained by Mojtaba Amani, the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Lebanon, are very severe,' emphasizing: 'Revenge by Iranian youth at the hands of Moses' soldiers.' Shahram Sabzevari, a former military member active on social media, also described Mojtaba Amani as 'a terrorist working under diplomatic cover in Lebanon' and stated that he was 'injured due to the explosion of pagers used by members of the terrorist group Hezbollah.' According to this user, 'all ambassadors of the Islamic Republic are connected to terrorist groups under diplomatic cover,' and 'diplomatic titles are merely a cover for carrying out assigned missions,' which ultimately results in 'chaos in the world.' The expression of joy by some Iranian users over the injury of Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and the Islamic Republic's ambassador in this country comes while previous reports indicated that Hezbollah forces participated in the suppression of the nationwide protests in Iran in 2021. In this context, Amir Etemadi, a political activist opposed to the Islamic Republic, referred to the simultaneous explosion of Hezbollah pagers as part of the 'oppressors of the Iranian people' who 'have been struck by divine arrows.' Additionally, Kamran Khansari-Nia, the vice president of the Nofidi organization, shared images of protesters whose eyes were injured due to fire from the Islamic Republic's forces in 2021, reacting to the news of the potential blindness of Mojtaba Amani, the Islamic Republic's ambassador, who is said to have had one of the pagers and was injured due to its explosion, stating: 'An eye for their eyes.' Coinciding with the second anniversary of the nationwide protests in Iran in 2021, during which the eyes of hundreds of protesters were injured in the government crackdown and volunteer doctors treating them were killed, injured, or arrested, the Islamic Republic claims to have sent Red Crescent eye surgeons to treat the injured from the explosion of Hezbollah pagers. According to reports from government news agencies on Wednesday, September 28, a group of 'volunteer' doctors and eye surgeons, along with Pirhossein Kolivand, the head of the Islamic Republic's Red Crescent, traveled to Lebanon and examined the victims of the Hezbollah pager explosion in hospitals in this country. According to Faras Al-Abiad, the Lebanese Minister of Health, the number of explosions in the country has risen to 12. The number of injured in this incident has been reported by various sources to be between about two thousand and four thousand, and the Lebanese Minister of Health announced that medical aid from Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan has entered Lebanon, and some of the injured have also been transferred to Syria and Iran. The dispatch of Red Crescent doctors and specialists to treat the injured of Hezbollah Lebanon, a militia supported by the Islamic Republic, comes at a time when doctors who voluntarily treated injured protesters during the nationwide protests in 2021 faced the wrath of the Iranian government, and many of them were killed, injured, or arrested.