TEHRAN – Iran has vowed to hold Israel accountable after the regime killed an Iranian woman and her Lebanese husband in northern Beirut, targeting the couple’s car and then pursuing them with drones after they fled on foot.      

Footage released by Israeli media on Saturday shows Masoumeh Karbasi and Reza Awadeh's car being struck repeatedly by drones on a highway in Jounieh, a predominantly Christian city north of Beirut. After three drone strikes, Awadeh, whom Hebrew media identified as a Hezbollah member, pulls over. He exits the car and rushes to the passenger side to help his wife escape. The drone continues its attack, relentlessly firing at the couple as they run hand-in-hand across a field adjacent to the highway. 

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has said that Israel’s latest attack in Lebanon is a “clear and simultaneous manifestation of terrorism and war crimes”.

“The Iranian lady and her Lebanese husband were brutally killed in a public area on a busy street.” Esmail Baqaei said, adding, “Iran will employ all available resources to investigate the incident and hold the Zionist regime accountable for its actions.”

The Iranian embassy in Lebanon also confirmed the death of Karbasi, urging international organizations to take prompt and effective measures to assist civilians.

The Iranian citizen was a mother of five children and had been living in Lebanon for years. 

Israel’s ongoing war in the besieged Gaza Strip which began a year ago has now spread to the surrounding areas including Lebanon. After laying waste to much of Gaza and rendering large parts of it practically uninhabitable, the regime seems to be adamant about replicating its crimes in other parts of the region. 

Israeli war jets have been routinely targeting residential areas across Lebanon saying it aims to assassinate Hezbollah members. Almost 3,000 Lebanese citizens have been killed in the past three months in Israeli strikes. Analysts and regional officials warn that the regime has crossed all redlines, leading West Asia into a full-on conflagration with international and lasting repercussions.