Iran reaffirmed on Wednesday that it holds Israel accountable for the abduction of four Iranians in Lebanon more than four decades ago.
The Iranians were abducted on July 4, 1982 when Lebanon was occupied by Israel, but under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the occupying party is responsible for protecting the lives and property of the people in the occupied country, the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement published on its website to mark the anniversary of the kidnapping incident.
Iran demands the international and human rights bodies fulfill their legal and humanitarian responsibilities to hold Israel accountable for the incident, the ministry added.
On July 4, 1982, three Iranian diplomats and one Iranian journalist were kidnapped by a group of gunmen at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon. Iran says the gunmen were Israel’s mercenaries, but Israel has denied any involvement.
The whereabouts of the four abductees are still unknown.