Screenshot of the conference that supposedly took place at the Iranian Embassy. (Taken from the Red TV video)
The Iranian embassy in Lebanon categorically denied being the source of an event during which diatribes and insulting remarks against Saudi Arabia and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were allegedly said and broadcast.
According to a video published Thursday by the online media outlet Red TV, a newcomer with unclear origins on the Lebanese media scene, an event was purportedly organized at the embassy, with the presence of local figures close to Hezbollah. During this conference, a video was allegedly shown calling for the "annihilation" of Saudi Arabia. The Red TV broadcast showed a crowd in a hall and screenshots of a presumed video, with subtitles scrolling insults against the Saudi kingdom. However, the images did not at any time convey the audio content of the alleged document. Among the participants at this event is former minister Wiam Wahhab.
Uproar on social networks and controversy
According to the Iranian diplomatic representation in Beirut, these were "fabricated images, which have nothing to do with reality or professional journalistic work." According to the statement sent to L'Orient-Le Jour by the embassy, "all the material shown during the event was exclusively related to documenting the Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the losses it caused." It denounced a desire to "sow discord among the sons of the same nation" in Lebanon and to "harm the fraternal and cooperative relations between the peoples and governments of the region." The embassy said it reserved the right to take legal action against the site if those responsible did not retract and offer official apologies for these allegations.
Before this clarification, the publication caused a stir on social networks, sparking a new controversy between supporters of Hezbollah and its detractors close to Saudi Arabia.
"This is where the role of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun lies: to take immediate action against any ambassador who would influence Lebanon's relationship with another state," said Bayrak al-Bayrak on X, whose profile features a portrait of the Saudi crown prince.
"As long as the Lebanese state allows attacks against the kingdom, Lebanon will see no yellow or green dollars," stated Hamdan Helal, whose posts implied that he was also close to Riyadh.
"Where is the video that mentions these remarks? I only see information stated without evidence. You are just a bunch of ignoramuses," said Ali Saleh, an Iran supporter.
The controversy came following a week-long war between Israel and Iran and anticipation of a possible American entry into the conflict. After leaving the possibility of U.S. participation in the Israeli offensive against Iran, Donald Trump granted Tehran a two-week period to give diplomacy a chance.
According to Reuters and the Washington Post, Iran sought the mediation of Saudi Arabia, alongside Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman, to achieve a cease-fire. While Iran has good relations with Qatar and Oman, its reconciliation with Saidi Arabia was only sealed in 2023.