Iranian President: Arrested By AS-Europe, Israel Kills Innocent People

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian/screenshot via X @drpezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel should stop killing innocent people. Iran calls Israel's actions in the Middle East supported by the United States and the European Union.

This was conveyed by Pezeshkian to Russian state TV reporters on the sidelines of an international meeting in Turkmenistan, Friday, October 11.

"I want to tell Israel: stop killing innocent people. Stop bombings of residential buildings, people who have nothing," Pezeshkian said.

"They did this because they knew that the US and the European Union were behind it," he said.

Israel in recent weeks has sharply stepped up its attacks on Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah movement, including by killing senior officials, sending ground troops to southern Lebanon, and bombing the capital Beirut.

An Israeli attack late Thursday at the heart of the city of Beirut killed 22 people and injured more than 100 people, Lebanese authorities said.

Israel says operations in Lebanon aim to allow tens of thousands of residents to return home after being forced to leave northern Israel due to Hezbollah rocket fire over the past year.

Hezbollah opened fire on Israel to support its ally Hamas, which sparked an Israeli ground attack on Gaza following an October 7 attack on communities in southern Israel.

The Middle East remains wary of further escalation in the region, awaiting Israel's response to the Iranian missile strike on October 1.