Iranian protesters attack Palestinian Authority ambassador’s residence, injure ambassador
Palestinian Ambassador to Iran, Salam al-Zawawi (R) at a swearing-in ceremony hosted by PA President Mahmoud Abbas (L) at the president
Around 200 protesters stormed the residence of the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador in Tehran, injuring Salam al-Zawawi and embassy staff and causing extensive damage, Iranian media reported.
Hundreds of protesters attacked the Palestinian Authority ambassador’s residence in Tehran, chanting slogans, throwing Molotov cocktails, and forcing entry into the residence, causing injuries to the ambassador and some embassy staff, Asr Iran reported on Sunday evening.
The incident occurred amid widespread protests on January 8, the outlet noted.
“The rioters, who numbered about 200, attacked the residence,” it added.
The ambassador, Salam al-Zawawi, was suffocated during the incident and transferred to the hospital for medical treatment, the report stated.
In addition, the ambassador, her family, and members of the embassy staff sheltered in the residence’s basement while waiting for the regime’s security forces to rescue them, Asr Iran reported.
Palestinian Ambassador to Iran, Salam al-Zawawi in this undated picture. (credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
Police reportedly entered the residence, rescuing those sheltering and “confronting the attackers.”
Further, “extensive damage” was reportedly caused to the residence due to the incident.
A practically hereditary ambassadorial posting?
Salam al-Zawawi was sworn in as Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran in January 2022.
Her father, Salah, was the ambassador to Tehran from February 1981 until his daughter succeeded him in the posting.
