Following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, pressure has increased on the regime in Tehran, the Lebanese militia’s biggest ally, to respond.
But while the government has hailed Nasrallah as a martyr and declared five days of national mourning, some Iranians have other concerns.
“I don’t like Hezbollah, they behave like a terrorist group,” Tehran resident Elnas told dpa on a rainy Monday morning in the Iranian capital.
“Of course, with the recent attacks (in Lebanon), Israel has also shown that it is behaving like terrorists,” she added.
The 30-year-old says she is not sad about Nasrallah’s killing, but what she does fear is an expansion of the conflict.
The Islamist leader’s death has further fueled concerns about a major escalation that could attract other regional players, including Iran.
Hezbollah is allied with the regime in Tehran, which considers Israel its archenemy. Although the Iranian leadership has strongly condemned Nasrallah’s killing, it has so far not indicated that it might be willing to directly carry out a possible retaliatory response.
The Lebanese militia, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US, European Union and Israel, has been launching attacks on northern Israel in support of Hamas since the start of the Gaza war.
After nearly a year of cross-border skirmishes, Israel launched a massive air campaign on targets across Lebanon earlier this week, aiming to push back Hezbollah forces to allow the return of tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern Israel during the fighting . .
So far, the bombing has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands.
Another Tehran resident, Saeed, 35, said that while he was indifferent to the news of Nasrallah’s death, he too gradually became concerned about developments in the region.
“Such events have a negative impact on the country’s economy. For example, the value of the rial fell after the confirmation of this news,” he said.
Asghar, 38, mourns Nasrallah’s death and says he is saddened by it as a Muslim. “Of course, Iran is not trying to respond in a certain way to prevent further conflict,” he added.
Mojtaba, 40, meanwhile, said he was “happy to hear the news” of Nasrallah’s killing.
“I hope that the deaths of the leaders of these groups will lead to a reduction in the 40-year conflict between Iran and the world.”
