“Israel is destroyed”: Anti-US, Israel protests break out in Iran, flags set ablaze

Thousands of Iranians took to the streets in Tehran and other cities on Friday to condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. The protests were called by officials on Wednesday to support Hezbollah and denounce Israeli actions in Palestine.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed movement, is part of the “Axis of Resistance,” a network of armed groups across the Middle East that have targeted Israel and US forces in support of Palestinian group, Hamas.

Demonstrators gathered around Enghelab Square in Tehran, carrying portraits of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Palestinian and Hezbollah flags.

Protesters chanted slogans and burned Israeli and US flags. Similar demonstrations were held in other cities, including Semnan, Qom, Kashan, Kermanshah, Shiraz, and Bandar Abbas.

“Israel is destroyed. Lebanon is victorious,” they chanted, criticising “a bloodbath in Lebanon.”

The protests come amid escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah, triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. Israeli raids on Lebanon have killed hundreds, marking the deadliest violence since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war.

Analysts warn that Iran is navigating a delicate balance between supporting Hezbollah and avoiding a full-blown conflict.

The UN had on Friday said a “catastrophic” intensification of Israeli attacks targeting Hezbollah fighters had left Lebanon facing its deadliest period in years, with its hospitals overwhelmed by casualties.

“The recent escalations in Lebanon are nothing short of catastrophic,” said Imran Riza, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon.

“We are witnessing the deadliest period in Lebanon in a generation, and many express their fear that this is just the beginning,” Riza told reporters in Geneva via video link from Beirut.