Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Friday condemned Israel’s airstrike on an Iranian field hospital along the Syria-Lebanon border, calling it a “war crime.”

In a statement, Baghaei criticised Israel for targeting the 56-bed hospital operated by the Iranian Red Crescent Society, which was destroyed along with its equipment and aid supplies.

Baghaei said Israel’s frequent strikes on hospitals and rescue centers in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria were a “clear sign of its insurgence against all international regulation and norms.”

IRCS President Pirhossein Kolivand also denounced the airstrike as a “clear violation of international humanitarian law that prohibits attacks against rescue and medical centers.”

He noted that the hospital was marked with the IRCS flag.

Iranian foreign minister Seyyed Araghchi said earlier during a meeting in Doha with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman that Israel’s “warmongering” is the main cause of insecurity and instability in West Asia.

Araghchi called for an end to what he described as “genocide” and the destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon and Gaza.

The Qatari foreign minister called for regional cooperation to stop the Israeli “crimes,” promote stability and support the Palestinian and Lebanese people. 

(Xinhua/NAN)