TEHRAN – The body of martyr Ali Heydari, a distinguished Iranian physician and devoted aid worker, was laid to rest at the holy shrine of Imam Khomeini in Tehran.

The funeral, held on Friday, saw the attendance of Iranian officials and numerous citizens from Tehran. 

Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, grandson of founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini, led the funeral prayers for Dr. Heydari.

Dr. Heydari was was martyred on October 22, when an Israeli airstrike targeted the ambulance he was operating in Beirut, where he had been stationed to provide medical assistance amid the ongoing violence. 

Israeli forces, escalating their aggression since the start of operations in Gaza over a year ago, have increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and medical staff, in both Gaza and Lebanon. 

In a statement, Iran’s Health Minister, Mohammad Reza Zafarqandi, mourned the loss of Dr. Heydari, honoring him as a "physician of the Resistance Front" and extending his condolences to the family and colleagues of this devoted doctor.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the airstrike as a "war crime," denouncing it as a "deliberate and egregious attack" on medical personnel. The ministry further emphasized that Israel’s targeting of medical professionals constitutes a violation of international law, specifically the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which prohibit attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in conflict zones.

In a written statement, the Foreign Ministry reiterated the global community's duty to hold Israel accountable for these ongoing violations. "We urge the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization to document these grave breaches of humanitarian law," it read, adding that the international community must act to halt attacks on hospitals and medical personnel.

Dr. Heydari’s death follows another attack earlier in the week, in which an Iranian woman, Masoumeh Karbasi, and her Lebanese husband, Reza Awadeh, were killed by Israeli forces while attempting to escape their vehicle under attack on a Beirut highway.