IRNA: Cleric holds US, Zionist Regime responsible for Gemayel's assassination

This takes an interesting turn at the end. Shifting the blame to Israel for killing one's enemies has the drawback of creating support for one's enemies:

Tehran's substitute Friday prayers leader Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Khatami on Friday held the US and the Zionist Regime of Israel responsible for assassination of Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel.

"All proof and evidence point clearly to the fact that the US and Zionists are behind the assassination because the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice had earlier disclosed that many assassinations would take place in Lebanon; large amount of weapons have also been shipped to the US Embassy in Lebanon and Gemayel too was assassinated with the same arms," said Khatami in his second Friday prayers sermon.

At least three gunmen rammed their car into Gemayel's vehicle as it was traveling in Beirut's Christian neighborhood and then riddled it with bullets from their silencer-equipped automatic weapons at pointblank range, witnesses said.

Gemayel, 34, was rushed to hospital where he later died of his wounds.

Khatami went on to say, "The reality is that we are witnessing a plot in Lebanon." He hoped such plots would be defused through wise initiatives of the Lebanese popular officials.

The cleric said, "True, the plots have been masterminded by foreigners, notably the US, but the enemy is at home."

He recalled the 33-day of Lebanese resistance against the Zionist enemy and said there were some Lebanese statesmen who tried to harm the resistance.

Tags: Iran, Lebanon, Gemayel, Syria, Israel, propaganda