Iran criticized over medical aid to injured Hezbollah members after pager attacks

Head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pirhossein Kolivand, (middle) departed for Lebanon on September 19, 2024 at the head of a medical team.
Head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pirhossein Kolivand, (middle) departed for Lebanon on September 19, 2024 at the head of a medical team.

Iranians have reacted to the treatment of several Hezbollah members whose eyes were injured in explosions in Lebanon while Iran's security forces blinded hundreds of protesters during the crackdown on 2022 protests.

Several have voiced their discontent over social media to fighters being brought to Iran and Iranian doctors sent to Lebanon to treat Hezbollah operatives in the wake of two targeted attacks this week.

One citizen, in a video sent to Iran International, commented: "The Islamic Republic blinded Iranian protesters and didn't allow them treatment, but treats Hezbollah's wounded in Iran."

This week saw two separate incidents in which the communication devices of scores of Hezbollah forces exploded, leading to hundreds of casualties and multiple deaths.

The Tuesday explosions targeting pager devices belonging to the Iran-backed militant group occurred in Beirut, killing at least 12 people and injuring around 2,800 others, with 300 reported in critical condition.

The following day, more explosions targeted Hezbollah's walkie-talkie devices in various cities across Lebanon. According to Lebanon's Ministry of Health, these incidents left at least 37 people dead and many injured.

While Israel has not commented, the blame has been laid at the Jewish state. Just minutes before the attack, Israel released news of having foiled a Hezbollah plot to assassinate a former security chief in Israel.

The two countries have been involved in daily bombardments since October 7 when Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel. In allegiance with Hamas, Iran's biggest proxy has since fired over 6,000 projectiles towards Israel, leading to a conflict displacing around 200,000 people on both sides of the border.

People walk near an ambulance outside American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) as people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded and killed when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, according to a security source, in Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024.
People walk near an ambulance outside American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) as people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded and killed when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, according to a security source, in Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024.

In response to the explosions, Pirhossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, announced that 95 of the injured had been transferred to Iran for further treatment.

Kolivand also confirmed that two groups of Iranian doctors, including eye specialists, had been dispatched to Lebanon. In another interview, he noted that 12 doctors, along with nurses and paramedics from the Red Crescent, were also deployed to assist in Lebanon.

The decision to treat the Hezbollah forces has been met with a flood of backlash on social media. Masih Alinejad, a prominent journalist and women’s rights activist, reacted on X: "The hypocrisy is glaring: the same regime that intentionally blinded peaceful Woman, Life, Freedom protesters in Iran is now offering medical care to Hezbollah operatives who lost their eyesight to pager explosions."

In 2022, during protests over the killing of Mahsa Amini, Iranian security forces were accused of deliberately targeting protesters’ eyes, blinding many of them, in addition to killing over 550, including women and children.

Ehsan Karami, a former TV host and actor, voiced his frustration online: "Why should the people of Iran bear the cost of transferring and treating these individuals, who will undoubtedly receive the best medical care? Rubber bullets and eye removal are the share of Iranian youth, while exclusive flights and special treatment in Tehran are reserved for Hezbollah’s freeloaders."

Sociologist Majid Mohammadi also weighed in, saying: "Netanyahu played the role of God for those seeking justice for the brutal shootings by Basij militia and Special Units that targeted the eyes, hands, and legs of protesters in the Mahsa movement. Three thousand members of Hezbollah and their associates have suffered eye injuries (with 500 blinded), and many have had their fingers and hands amputated. Netanyahu brought smiles to the faces of the families of Iran’s martyrs."

A user identified as Leadsoldier highlighted the contrast between how Hezbollah fighters are treated compared to Iranian citizens: "While our brave young freedom fighters are wandering from place to place seeking treatment for their eye injuries, Hezbollah’s freeloading terrorists receive free care in the best hospitals in the country. This injustice weighs even heavier when we witness the meager income and unbearable pressure on our nation's nurses and medical staff."

International human rights organizations have also brought attention to the issue of eye injuries sustained by Iranian protesters. The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley earlier verified that at least 120 people had lost some or all of their vision when Iranian security agents used shotguns, paintball guns, and tear gas canisters to suppress protests in 2022. While the Center stopped short of declaring that blinding protesters was a coordinated policy, the evidence indicated that many victims were shot in the face at close range.

The Iran Human Rights Organization (IHR) also corroborated the findings, stating that security forces “systematically” targeted the eyes of protesters, particularly women, during the protests. An IHR report confirmed 138 cases of eye injuries, including eight children under 18. The majority of the injuries resulted from pellets, with others caused by paintball guns and tear gas cartridges.

Iran is also in the midst of a dire health crisis with shortages of medicine and healthcare practitioners who are fleeing the country in droves in search of better working conditions and salaries.