Iran Slams West’s ‘Whitewashing’ of Israeli Aggression in Lebanon

Thursday, 26 March 2026 8:15 PM

Hezbollah has announced the destruction of 13 Israeli Merkava tanks during clashes in southern Lebanon.

Tehran slams Western media outlets for whitewashing violations of international law in their coverage of Israel’s military atrocities in Lebanon.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has slammed Western media outlets for whitewashing violations of international law through their coverage of Israel’s military aggressions in Lebanon.

In a post on his X account on Thursday, Baghaei reacted to a report by The New York Times which indicated that Israel planned to expand its occupation of Lebanese territories.

On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that “Israel planned to expand the territory it controls in Lebanon, suggesting it might remain there beyond the fighting.”

Baghaei responded by saying, “Planning to expand the territory it controls is a euphemism for military aggression and illegal occupation in Lebanon.”

“This is how sanitized, politically correct journalism whitewashes violations of international law and conceals the brutal reality of atrocity, death and destruction on the ground,” he wrote.

Hezbollah on Thursday announced the destruction of 13 Israeli Merkava tanks during clashes in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese resistance group reported that several Israeli military targets were hit in the ongoing fighting across various fronts in southern Lebanon.

According to a statement from Hezbollah, the attacks took place on Thursday, targeting Israeli armored vehicles.

The group specifically highlighted the destruction of 9 Merkava tanks, including three in the western al-Taybeh area. Additionally, a military D9 bulldozer was also destroyed.

Hezbollah further detailed a series of attacks in which a total of 4 additional Merkava tanks and one D9 bulldozer were targeted and destroyed in the region of al-Taybeh. The statement indicated that these targets were struck by precision-guided missiles.

In a separate report, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for another missile strike in which an Israeli armored unit, advancing towards the village of al-Muhaysibat, was targeted. Four more Merkava tanks and another D9 bulldozer were destroyed in the attack.

The resistance group added that a series of missile strikes were also launched towards northern Israel, with approximately 10 rockets being fired from Lebanon. The missile barrage was reported by Yedioth Ahronoth, a major Israeli daily.