Iran condemns targeted killing of Hezbollah commander in Beirut

Iran has strongly condemned the targeted killing of a military commander of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran, an ally of Hezbollah, is not planning a direct act of revenge.

"The incident is a matter for Hezbollah, and it will certainly show an appropriate reaction in due course," the Iranian chief diplomat said, according to a report published by Iran's ISNA news agency on Saturday.

Araghchi called Friday's targeted killing of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil "a criminal act of desperation by the Zionist regime."

He said that Israel had reached an impasse and was now trying "to drag the entire region into the swamp with such crimes."

Iran would push for international condemnation of Israeli "war crimes" to prevent an even more dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East, the minister said.

Araghchi is currently in New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to be there next week. According to Araghchi, the crisis in the Middle East will be at the top of Pezeshkian's agenda when he meets with foreign counterparts.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Israel has been Iran's declared archenemy.