The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Lebanon Sustains Serious Injuries to His Face and Eyes

The government newspaper 'Kayhan' reported on Tuesday, September 17, on its Telegram channel: 'Reports indicate that contrary to claims of superficial injuries to the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon, his face and eyes have sustained serious damage.' Earlier, the website 'Rouydad 24' reported that the editor of the 'Mashregh' website had stated on the social media platform 'X' that 'the ambassador's eye has been severely injured.' Meanwhile, the government news agency 'Tasnim' quoted an 'informed source' stating that Mojtaba Amani Hamadani was injured in the hand and face due to the explosion of a pager belonging to one of his bodyguards. The general condition of the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Beirut was described as 'stable,' and it was added that he is receiving treatment. Following the explosions of pagers in Lebanon, which primarily targeted members of the Hezbollah group, it was reported that Mojtaba Amani Hamadani was also injured and transferred to a hospital in Beirut. According to Iranian state media, images indicated that he was injured in both eyes, face, and hand. Despite these reports, the Iranian embassy in Beirut stated on social media 'X' that the 'treatment process' of Mojtaba Amani Hamadani is 'progressing well and the rumors circulating about Mr. Amani's physical condition and visual status are unfounded.' However, no images or videos of the Iranian ambassador in the hospital have been released so far. Meanwhile, the 'New York Times' quoted a person identified as 'a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' stating that the pagers distributed by Hezbollah beeped for a few seconds before exploding, causing users to hold the pagers close to their eyes and faces to read messages. He said that the pager belonging to the Iranian ambassador in Beirut beeped for a few seconds before he picked it up. According to this report, the Iranian ambassador has lost one of his eyes and the other has been severely injured due to the explosion. Thousands of pager devices exploded on Tuesday, September 17, in various regions of Lebanon, especially in southern Beirut and the south of the country, two areas heavily influenced by Hezbollah, resulting in at least 9 deaths and about 3,000 injuries from various parts of the body. Reports indicate that the condition of 200 of the injured is 'critical.' Many of the dead and injured are members of the Hezbollah militia group, which is supported by the Islamic Republic. Lebanese officials have pointed fingers at the two militia groups, Hezbollah and Hamas, and their supporter, the Islamic Republic, accusing Israel. However, Israel has not claimed responsibility for these explosions so far. Meanwhile, the United States on Tuesday, following the explosion of thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon, urged the Islamic Republic to refrain from actions that would cause 'further instability' and 'increased tensions.' Farzin Nadimi stated that the explosion of Hezbollah's pagers in Lebanon is a military-grade cyber offensive. The CEO of 'Gold Apollo' in Taiwan stated that the exploded pagers in Lebanon were produced by a company in Hungary. The 'New York Times' reported, citing informed officials, that Israel had planted explosives in Hezbollah's pagers. The U.S. warned the Islamic Republic not to exploit the pager explosions to escalate tensions in the region. Hezbollah in Lebanon accused Israel of the widespread explosions of communication devices and threatened retaliation. Reactions to the explosions of Hezbollah's pagers included users saying: 'Hail to the pagers and the hand that ignited them.' At least 9 people were killed and about 3,000 injured in the explosions of Hezbollah members' pagers in Lebanon and Syria.