Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (C) waves as he returns to his car after visiting the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s Basta neighbourhood, on October 12, 2024. AFP
A source close to Hezbollah has said that the air raid on Thursday night in the densely populated Basta area, which killed at least 22 people, had targeted the Lebanese group's security chief Wafiq Safa.
But neither the Israeli military nor Hezbollah confirmed that he was the target of the strike, nor did they remark on his fate.
Speaking to the press, accompanied by two Hezbollah lawmakers, Ghalibaf denounced Israel's "crimes".
"International organisations and the UN Security Council have the capability (to stop Israel) but they are unfortunately keeping silent," he said.
After almost a year of cross-border fire, Israel has intensified its strikes on Lebanon since September 23.
The Israeli escalation has killed more than 1,200 people and displaced around a million from their homes.
Earlier Saturday, Ghalibaf met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who told him his government's priority was "to work towards a ceasefire", Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said.
The premier urged the United Nations on Friday to pass a resolution calling for an "immediate" ceasefire as Hezbollah fighters confront Israeli forces invading southern Lebanon.
Ghalibaf was also expected to meet his Lebanese counterpart Nabih Berri, a powerful Hezbollah ally, before heading to Geneva later the same day, according to Berri's office and Iran's state news agency IRNA.
When he visited Lebanon on Friday last week, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country backed efforts for a simultaneous ceasefire with Israel in both Gaza and Lebanon.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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