Iranian president says Israel, backed by West, is 'killing innocent people'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that Israel should "stop killing innocent people," and that its actions in the Middle East were backed by the United States and the European Union.

Pezeshkian was speaking to a Russian state TV reporter on the sidelines of an international meeting in Turkmenistan.

Israel in recent weeks has sharply escalated its assault on Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, including by killing its top leaders, sending ground troops into southern Lebanon and bombing the capital Beirut.

"I would like to say to Israel: stop killing innocent people. Stop bombing residential buildings, people who have nothing anyway," said Pezeshkian, accusing Israel of violating every kind of international agreement.

"It does this because it knows that the US and the European Union are behind it," he said.


Reuters