Thousands gather in Tehran to protest Israeli attacks, show support for Hezbollah

By Ahmet Dursun

TEHRAN (AA) - Thousands of people on Monday gathered in Iran's capital Tehran to protest Israeli attacks in Lebanon and commemorate assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The demonstrators gathered in Palestine Square to protest the Israeli attacks that led to the deaths of Nasrallah and Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Carrying flags of Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine, along with Hezbollah banners and posters of Nasrallah, the protesters chanted slogans against Israel and the US.

Demonstrators of all ages, who prayed and recited elegies, called on officials to respond to Israel with the slogan: "Our only word is revenge."

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Nasrallah, along with several Hezbollah commanders, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the capital Beirut on Friday.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza last October, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli in Istanbul