The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, officially announced on Saturday, the killing of the four Iranians who were kidnapped in Lebanon 41 years ago.
During his meeting with the families of the four diplomats, Salami described one of the diplomats, Ahmad Motevaselian , as “the first Iranian martyr on the way to the liberation of Jerusalem and the conquests of the axis of resistance.”
Salami added that they are “those who restored the country’s security, peace and progress.”
Earlier, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated, in a statement, that “the kidnapping of diplomats is a symbol of a flagrant violation of the Vienna Treaty,” noting that the case “did not witness the required cooperation on the part of the international community.”
It also pointed out that “Iran holds the Zionist entity and its supporters responsible for this terrorist act.”
Three Iranian diplomats as well as a reporter for Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) were abducted in Lebanon on 4 July 1982. None of them have been seen since .
The missing individuals are Ahmad Motevaselian, military attaché for Iran’s embassy in Beirut; Mohsen Mousavi, chargé d’affaires at the embassy; Taghi Rastegar Moghadam, an embassy employee; and Kazem Akhavan, IRNA photojournalist. Motevaselian was also an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member in command of an Iranian expeditionary force in Lebanon.
They were stopped at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon by Lebanese Phalange forces . Speculation about their fate has circulated since their abduction. Iranian officials until today’s announcement believed that they were handed over to Israel after they were kidnapped and were still alive and being held in Israeli territory. Israel denied any involvement.
News Agencies
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