Lebanon's security agencies have launched an investigation into a late-night shooting outside the heavily fortified US Embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut. The incident occurred when an unknown assailant fired shots at the embassy. The attacker, a Syrian national, was injured and was taken to a hospital. His motives remain unclear, although according to Arab media he had a ISIS slogan on his weapon.

Local media reported that there was a gunfight for almost half an hour. The embassy said that at "8:34 a.m. local time, small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance to the embassy." It added that "our facility and team are safe." The US and Lebanon were "in close contact" to determine the circumstances of the incident, the statement read.

The US Embassy said the morning attack by the embassy's entrance did not cause any casualties among their staff, and that Lebanese troops and embassy security mobilized quickly. The Lebanese military said it deployed troops around the embassy and surrounding areas.

In 1983, a deadly bombing attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people. US officials blame the attack on the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. Following that attack, the embassy was moved from central Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar, north of the capital. Another bomb attack struck the new location on Sept. 20, 1984.

#فيديو #متداول | إطلاق نار في محيط #السفارة_الأميركية في منطقة #عوكر في جبل لبنان وأنباء عن إصابات.#الميادين_لبنان #لبنان pic.twitter.com/NvULi3SFn4

— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) June 5, 2024

In September 2023, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened fire by the US Embassy. There were no casualties in that attack. In October 2023, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in demonstrations near the US Embassy in support of Gaza's people and the terrorist group Hamas in its war with Israel.

The post US Embassy in Beirut attacked; no casualties reported appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israel harshly criticized Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris Wednesday for seemingly taking a snipe at the judicial reform during a celebration in honor of Israel's 75th independence at the country's embassy in Washington.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Speaking at a reception, Harris said, "America will continue to stand for the values that have been the bedrock of the US-Israel relationship, which includes continuing to strengthen our democracies, which ... are both built on strong institutions, checks, and balances, and I'll add: an independent judiciary."

Video: Reuters

The event was attended, among others, by the head of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Simcha Rothman, one of the main driving forces behind the controversial legislation.

I have deep respect for our ally the United States of America and for Vice President Harris, a true friend of Israel.
Israel's legal reform is an internal issue that is currently in the process of consolidation and dialogue.
The State of Israel will continue to be democratic…

— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) June 7, 2023

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen criticized Harris, saying "I believe that she didn't even read it. If you ask her what about the reform troubles her, she wouldn't be able to name one clause. I have heard such comments in places I've visited, and I asked, 'What exactly bothers you?' No one could put their finger on it.

"It's not criticism; those who [cherish] the values of democracy more than anyone are the right wing and the Likud. Most of the public wants judicial reform. And most of the public wants a broad agreement. Public trust in the judicial system has deteriorated, and the reform will restore trust and create heterogeneity in the judicial system."

Cohen later appeared to walk back some of the remarks, issuing a reconciliatory tweet.

"I have deep respect for our ally the United States of America and for Vice President Harris, a true friend of Israel," he wrote. "Israel's legal reform is an internal issue that is currently in the process of consolidation and dialogue. The State of Israel will continue to be democratic and liberal, as it has always been."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israel blasts Harris over 'independent judiciary' comments appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

As both Italy and Israel elected new governments, ties between the two nations have gotten closer, characterized by economic cooperation and culminating in – at least Israel hopes – the transfer of the Italian embassy to Jerusalem.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Most recently, for the first time, the Italian parliament's both Chamber of Deputies and the Senate marked Israel's 75th independence, an event attended by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. In addition, Israel's Foreign Ministry is working on an invitation of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Jerusalem.

"Israel's independence is not to be taken for granted," Ohana said at the event. "We fight every day and every hour against enemies who want to destroy us."

Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis also visited Italy last week to meet with his counterpart Anna Maria Bernini and innovation leaders, talks that are expected to continue. Italy has recently been granted billions of dollars from the European Union for the purpose of research, and Israel expects an increase in cooperation between Italian and Israeli researchers as well as investments in Israel.

In addition, in March, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Jerusalem to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. A few days later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Rome as part of an official trip to Europe. During that visit, Netanyahu asked Meloni to consider moving Italy's embassy to Jerusalem.

Sources told Israel Hayom that senior Italian government officials are considering the idea. According to estimates, however, Italy is more likely to open a lower-level diplomatic office in Jerusalem.

Meloni came to power in late 2022 when Israel was led by interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who was hesitant to congratulate Italy's new prime minister.

Netanyahu, however, congratulated Meloni immediately upon her election, a warm embrace that might have led to the warming of ties between Jerusalem and Rome.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Will closer ties with Italy lead to embassy move? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

MOSTAR —

Borjana Krišto had already made history in her country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, when she became the first woman to be elected as the federation's president in 2007, as well as last January, when she became the first woman to be elected as the prime minister of the nationwide government responsible for both parts of the country – Bosnia and Herzegovina on the one hand, and the Serbian entity –  Republika Srpska, on the other. Towards the end of the year, the 61-year-old Croatian with a law degree is likely to make history again when she becomes the first prime minister of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit Israel. Contact between the two countries is already being made regarding the visit's arrangement, and the visit is likely to occur in November. For Israel, Krišto's visit is highly significant, as it will show the strengthening of its ties with yet another country with a Muslim majority that is susceptible to influence by pro-Palestinian Islamic entities.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Krišto is part of the Croatian minority that resides mainly in south Bosnia and Herzegovina, adjacent to Croatia's border. After Bosnia and Herzegovina's separation from Yugoslavia at the beginning of the 1990s, the three main population groups in the country – the Bosnian Muslims, the Orthodox Serbians, and the Catholic Croatians – waged a bloody civil war in which 100,000 people were killed and approximately two million people were displaced from their homes. Bosnia and Herzegovina simultaneously experienced horrific war crimes that the warring sides committed on its soil. The war ended in 1995 with the signing of the United States-sponsored Dayton Agreement. This agreement turned Bosnia and Herzegovina into a multi-ethnic federation with a complex governmental structure led by a foreign high commissioner who represents the international community and has the authority to rule on the country's internal affairs. The current high commissioner, Christian Schmidt, did so just recently when he amended the country's constitution to solve a political deadlock that prevented the establishment of the new government for years. Schmidt's intervention allowed the government to push the majority party, the nationalist-Islamic "Party of Democratic Action" – in power for most of the years that modern Bosnia and Herzegovina's existed – away. This party, which has been accused of being close ideologically to the Muslim Brotherhood and maintained relations with Erdogan's government in Türkiye and with Iran, acted to halt the development of relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel. Now, these actions will likely no longer stand in the way of the two countries strengthening their ties.

Krišto was one of four prime ministers who participated in the opening of the big Israeli pavilion in the International Economic Fair Mostar 2023 – the biggest trade fair in the Balkan region. Standing beside her were the prime ministers of Serbia and Croatia and the prime minister of the Bosnian-Croatian part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The official relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel are expanding and developing in a positive direction," said Krišto in an interview with Israel Hayom, "proof of this is our official visits to Israel and Israeli officials' visits here. As a result of improving our relations, Israel is becoming Bosnia and Herzegovina's partner. Israel's Chamber of Commerce in Bosnia and Herzegovina has allowed Israel to be invited to the Mostar Fair as a guest nation. An Israeli entrepreneur (Amir Gross Kabiri – E.B.) rehabilitated the company "Aluminij Industries" (the biggest aluminum company in Bosnia and Herzegovina – E.B.) and turned it into a thriving export company that has 400 employees. Aside from economic cooperation, there is also cooperation in tourism and culture. I am more than convinced that Israel's presence at the Mostar Fair will bring us even closer and will expand the cooperation between us and Israel. After the Israeli pavilion was opened, many meetings were held between companies from both countries in which many topics were discussed. In these meetings, exceptional ideas for shared future development of various projects were exchanged. For us, Israel serves as an example of a small country that can find ways to develop and become one of the world's most successful countries. We have much to learn from Israel."

Q: In which fields would you like to see more cooperation between the two countries?

"The foundation is economic cooperation. Also, in tourism and agriculture, which are an important part of our economy and in which there is room for development. And, of course, in education and science."

Q: Do you truly intend to visit Israel?

"Of course, I have not yet been there. It will be very important for me, personally and emotionally, to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and other sites important to the State of Israel and the Jewish nation. I intend on visiting towards the end of this year."

Q: Kosovo, which is close to you, established an embassy in Jerusalem. Do you see the possibility of Bosnia and Herzegovina moving its embassy to Jerusalem as well?

"The president is responsible for our country's foreign affairs. But I would be very happy to see the embassy in Jerusalem one day."

High Representative Schmidt's intervention in the amendment of Bosnia and Herzegovina's constitution so that it could establish a new government comprising moderate Muslims and Croatians caused much tension in the country. The Islamists claim that they were pushed away from power by authorities foreign to the government against the will of the Muslim majority. Simultaneously, the Serbian area's leader is radicalizing his calls for the separation of Republika Srpska from Bosnia and Herzegovina, for it to declare its independence and to unite with Serbia.

"Our form of government was determined by the international community and not by the country's residents themselves," explains Krišto, "we conduct ourselves based on this reality, which was determined by the Dayton Agreement and the country's constitution. Bosnia and Herzegovina comprises two entities and three main ethnic groups that live in them. The division of the government was determined unfairly towards the Croatians. The constitution gave us veto rights in the country's governmental institutions responsible for the entire country and all its citizens. We have institutions in which its officials are elected according to the "one person, one vote" rule, and there are institutions in which the officials are elected by associative democracy. Currently, in one of the two entities in which Croatians live with Bosnian Muslims, the Croatian officials in the collective bodies of government are elected by the Muslims. The fact that the Muslims, whose numbers are greater, choose the Croatian representatives is unfair. This discriminates against an entire population, the Croatians, who cannot choose their representatives. This discrimination also exists against people from other populations, outside the three main ethnic groups, who do not have any rights whatsoever to be elected to the government. The international community bestowed upon us a constitution that stopped the war. We needed to amend this constitution to move forward, but until now, we could not do so. Currently, the situation is one in which there is much distrust in the southern part, the Croatian part, of the federation, and we have not been able to find a solution that will allow the discrimination I spoke about to be eliminated. The "Party of Democratic Action" was the one that hampered any process of change. We were their coalition partners for a long time. But their strategy was to preserve the status quo. They were satisfied with the state of things in which the Muslims could choose the Croatian representatives for collective bodies of government. Since they are the federation's majority, they were able to select the Muslim and Croatian vice presidents. They abused the Croatians' trust in them. They were unwilling to give up this influential political tool. We reached a deadlock that did not allow us to move forward. Therefore, at the end of the year, we decided to change our partners in the Muslim-Bosnian community. We signed an agreement with them according to which we will work to solve this annoying problem. When we solve this problem, we will then solve our socioeconomic problems. My goal is to hasten the process of Bosnia and Herzegovina's integration into the European Union as much as possible. We need to solve this cumbersome political problem not just for my community, the Croatians, but for all of Bosnia and Herzegovina so that it can move forward."

Q: Can it move forward without renewed violence?

"I think we need mutual understanding, dialogue, and compromise. Making decisions in the nationwide government I am leading is impossible without compromise and consensus. The entire country is founded on consensus, dialogue, and compromise. We all survived the war. Over 100,000 people died in it. None of us are interested in experiencing another war again in the future. Bosnia and Herzegovina's rectification will happen through dialogue, consensus, and mutual understanding. The solution is to give the three large ethnic populations equal status. This equation will ensure and preserve Bosnia and Herzegovina's future."

But you are in a very fragile position under the current international circumstances. On the one hand, is the pro-Russian Republika Srpska which is inspired by Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and speaks again of independence. On the other hand, are the Islamists with their partners in the Muslim world in Iran and Türkiye. Both sides are striving toward crisis. Can this be prevented?

"As I said, the solution to maintaining stability in Bosnia is preserving the rule of equality between the three ethnic groups. Militarization and separatism are not good for Bosnia and Herzegovina since they place its existence as a country under question. I do not think it will be the correct political move for those striving towards disengagement or establishing a monoethnic state. The different entities cannot survive without Bosnia and Herzegovina's framework since they are a part of this country. The current situation is the only one that has a future."

Q: Do you feel that international forces are now trying to destroy Bosnia and Herzegovina? Russia? Iran?

"We have little exposure to what happens outside our borders. When we fight amongst ourselves, foreign authorities have more desire to influence what happens here. However, the Bosnian politicians are the only ones who can bring sustainable solutions to our country."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Bosnian PM tells Israel Hayom she 'would like to see embassy in Jerusalem' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen Wednesday evening will travel to Turkmenistan – the central Asian country that shares a long border with Iran – to officially inaugurate a permanent Israeli embassy in the capital city of Ashgabat.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The embassy will be the closest official Israeli mission to an Iranian border, only some 15 miles away. Cohen's visit will be the first to Turkmenistan by an Israeli foreign minister in the past 30 years. He is scheduled to meet with Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Agriculture and Environmental Protection Minister Allanur Altyyev.

Turkmenistan, a Muslim-majority country, established relations with Israel in the run-up to its declaration of independence in 1991. About a decade ago, in light of good relations between the two states, Israel opened a temporary embassy there with a temporary structure, now permanent.

The permanent building was built specifically for the to-be-inaugurated embassy, like the Israeli mission in Azerbaijan, which also shares a border with the Islamic Republic.

Over the years, Israeli and Turkmeni senior officials have visited each other's countries, signing agreements of cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, and energy. Recently, progress has been made in the collaboration of health and cyber defense.

Cohen's visit to Turkmenistan and the embassy's inauguration are intended to send a message to Iran that Israel is a present and growing influence in the region.

On Tuesday, the foreign minister flew to Azerbaijan – a Shiite Muslim country – where he met with Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and discussed with him regional security issues and strengthening "inter-state security ties." On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and sign cooperation agreements in the fields of investments, education and environment.

Cohen told Israel Hayom that Israel will work to double the number of Israeli tourists visiting Azerbaijan to 50,000. "I recommend that every Israeli should visit. There is almost no antisemitism here," he said.

In a statement he said, "The strategic relations between Israel and Azerbaijan are spread over security, energy, economy, and tourism. Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of Israel due to its geographical location and the fact that it is a Muslim-Shiite country that opened an embassy in Israel. The economic potential for the connection between our two economies is enormous and we will continue to work together to expand it for the benefit of our peoples."

Cohen was heading a large economic delegation that included representatives of defense, cyber security, homeland security, agriculture, and water management industries in Israel.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post FM Cohen heads to Turkmenistan to inaugurate closest Israeli embassy to Iran appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Iran said Friday it reached a deal with Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in the two countries after years of tensions. The kingdom did not immediately acknowledge any agreement.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Iranian state television reported the deal, saying it came during a meeting in China. Chinese state media did not report on any such deal.

Nour News, which is linked to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, posted images and video it described as being taken in China with the meeting. It showed Ali Shamkhani, the council's secretary, with a Saudi official and a Chinese official that state TV named as Wang Yi.

"After implementing of the decision, the foreign ministers of the both nations will meet to prepare for exchange of ambassadors," Iranian state television said.

Saudi Arabian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Tensions have been high between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The kingdom broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia days earlier had executed a prominent Shiite cleric, triggering the demonstrations.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Iran, Saudi Arabia to resume relations after years of tension appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The parliament of South Africa voted Wednesday to downgrade ties with Israel in what is a culmination of many years of rockey relations with the Jewish state.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The measure was backed by 208 lawmakers, while 94 opposed it. The move will see Israel's Embassy in the capital Pretoria downgraded to a liaison office. The measure was introduced by the National Freedom Party, which has two members in parliament, to protest what it considers to be a policy of apartheid and discriminatory practices against Palestinians.

"This is a moment [Mandela] would be proud of. He always said our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians," the left-wing party said in a statement Wednesday. "The state of Israel was built through the displacement, murder, and maiming of Palestinians. And to maintain their grip on power, they have instituted apartheid to control and manage Palestinians," read the statement, which continued: "As South Africans, we refuse to stand by while apartheid is being perpetrated again."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post South African parliament votes to downgrade ties with Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Ukraine recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's "one and only capital" and will open a branch of its embassy in the capital in the upcoming year, Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk said on Thursday.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Korniychuk's announcement came at the Kyiv Jewish Forum, an event marking 30 years of Israel-Ukraine ties, which was attended by Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze'ev Elkin, who grew up in Ukraine. Elkin is also the housing and construction minister.

The embassy branch in Jerusalem would be responsible for promoting bilateral trade and technological ties and will be inaugurated during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Israel next year.

The aim of the annual Kyiv Jewish Forum – which was held online this year due to coronavirus restrictions – is to foster dialogue among leaders from around the globe that will help bring about solutions to such challenges as antisemitism, the rise of the anti-Israel boycott movement, and the effects of the ongoing pandemic. Discussions also centered on pressing issues facing Jewish communities worldwide, and relations between Ukraine, Israel, and the global Jewish community.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the online event, as well as Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Health Minister Viktor Liashko, in addition to Elkin, Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai and Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov, among other senior leaders and officials from Europe, Israel and the US.

Guests and speakers of the forum also included President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder; the ambassadors of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodsky; the heads of the health authorities of both countries; the UN and European Commission antisemitism commissioners; CEO of the American Jewish Committee David Harris; Euro-Asian Jewish Congress president Mikhail Mirilashvili, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations William Daroff; national president and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan Greenblatt; and many others.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Ukraine recognizes Jerusalem as capital of Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday it would return its chargé d'affaires to Poland following contact with the country and "signals" from Warsaw of seeking reconciliation.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Tal Ben-Ari Yaalon was recalled by the ministry in August for "an indefinite period of time" following a controversial ruling by the Polish government that would prevent Holocaust survivors and their descendants from reclaiming property stolen during World War II.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid accused Poland of being "an anti-democratic, non-liberal country that does not honor the greatest tragedy in human history" and called the ruling "immoral and antisemitic."

In response, Poland announced its Ambassador to Israel Marek Magierowski, who was on vacation at the time, would not be returning to Jerusalem.

According to ministry officials, among the "signals" Jerusalem received from Warsaw was Polish President Andrzej Duda's strong condemnation of antisemitic demonstrations in the country and the government's plans to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Nevertheless, some Polish officials expressed disapproval upon learning of the ministry's announcement. 

"We do not fight antisemitism to please Mr. Lapid," a senior Polish official told Israel Hayom. "We do it for the sake of fighting antisemitism. Whether Israel has a charge d'affaires in Warsaw or not, it is Israel's decision."

Sources in Warsaw said that contrary to reports, there had been no contact between Israel and Poland on the matter. 

"We are very busy defending our borders," another official said, referring to the migrant crisis on the border with Belarus.

Thousands of people have been stranded on the border trying to cross into Poland and continue to the rest of the European Union.

"This is what concerns us now, not Israel," the official said, adding "In any case, the Polish government would not send signals of seeking to reconcile or apologize to a country whose government expelled the Polish ambassador."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post 'We do not fight antisemitism to please Mr. Lapid' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Thousands of Iranians gathered on the streets of Tehran Thursday for the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," and burning American and Israeli flags. The embassy takeover triggered a 444-day hostage crisis and a break in diplomatic relations that continues to this day.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The government-organized commemoration, long a venue for voicing anti-Western sentiment, typically draws angry crowds each year. Last year, authorities canceled the event due to the still-raging coronavirus pandemic but on Thursday, state TV said that 800 cities across Iran staged demonstrations.

Protesters hoisted an effigy of US President Joe Biden wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the Star of David, drops of red paint dripping from its mouth. It wasn't clear whether the demonstrators were trying to make a point or were simply recycling old props from their 2019 parade, but the figure's mop of orange hair resembled that of the effigy of former US President Donald Trump used at the rally two years ago.

In a lengthy speech to the crowds, Gen. Hossein Salami, chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, denounced the United States as a "dictator-making factory" and took aim at what he called American aggression in the region, declaring that "children of this nation [Iran] will stand bravely against any power that wants to damage their interests."

Long-simmering tensions between the US and Iran have flared again in recent months after Iran's election of extremist President Ebrahim Raisi, which brought hard-liners to power across every branch of government and stalled Tehran's negotiations with world powers to revive its now-tattered 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran has ramped up nuclear escalations at the same time, enriching small quantities of uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels and interfering with international inspections of its nuclear sites.

After months of delays, the European Union, Iran and the US announced Wednesday that indirect talks to resuscitate the deal would resume on Nov. 29 in Vienna. In comments broadcast Thursday on state TV, Raisi reiterated that Iran wants "result-oriented" nuclear talks and would "stand against excessive demands which could damage our nation's interests."

In 2018, then-President Trump withdrew the US from the landmark accord and imposed crushing sanctions, an escalation that set off a shadow war between Iran and the West that has targeted commercial shipping and roiled crucial Mideast waterways. The seas have witnessed a series of hijackings and explosions, including a fatal drone attack earlier this year that the US blamed on Iran.

On Wednesday, the eve of the 42nd anniversary of the embassy seizure, American officials revealed that Iran had seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman last month and still holds the vessel in its port.

Iran, meanwhile, offered conflicting accounts of what happened, claiming that IRGC commandos had thwarted a US seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Gulf of Oman and freed the vessel. It aired dramatic footage on state television but did not further explain the incident.

In his speech to the throngs outside the building that once housed the US Embassy, Salami lauded the IRGC for its assault, accusing the Americans of trying "to take our oil," and supporting "pirates."

"We are serious in defending our homeland," he declared.

Gathered Iranians waved flags and raised portraits of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the powerful Quds Force commander killed in early January 2020 in an American drone strike in Baghdad.

A large American flag was spread on the street, forcing those marching to walk over it.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The commemoration marks the dramatic day when hard-line Iranian student demonstrators overran guards and pushed into the embassy compound on Nov. 4, 1979, enraged that then-US President Jimmy Carter had allowed Iran's exiled and fatally ill Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to receive cancer treatment in the United States.

A few embassy staffers fled and hid in the home of the Canadian ambassador to Iran before escaping the country with the help of the CIA, a story recounted in the 2012 film "Argo."

The fall of the US-allied shah transfixed America, as nightly images of blindfolded hostages played on television sets across the nation. Ultimately, as Carter left office, all 52 captive American diplomats were freed.

The post Iran marks anniversary of 1979 takeover of US Embassy appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.