Tens of thousands protest against Lebanon ‘bloodbath’ in Iran, Yemen

Protests in Iran and Yemen condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Tens of thousands protested in Iranian cities and in the rebel-held Yemeni capital on Friday (September 27, 2024) to condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, AFP journalists and state media reported.

The demonstrations in Tehran and other Iranian cities were responding to a call by authorities on Wednesday (September 25, 2024) to demonstrate in support of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon “and to condemn the barbaric crimes of the Zionist regime in Palestine,” the official IRNA news agency said.

Hezbollah is part of the “axis of resistance,” Iran-aligned armed groups across the Middle East that have targeted Israel, and also U.S. forces, in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The alliance also includes Yemen’s Huthi rebels who organised a demonstration by tens of thousands in the capital Sanaa on Friday (September 27, 2024) a day after firing a missile at Israel.

In Tehran after Friday (September 27, 2024) prayers, a protest took place around Enghelab Square in the city centre, an AFP journalist said.

Demonstrators carried portraits of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah as well as Palestinian and Hezbollah flags.

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