The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the killing of an Iranian medic in Lebanon, calling it a violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Al Jazeera reports.

Dr Ali Heydari had been based in Beirut “for some time” in order to provide medical assistance to victims of Israeli attacks “based on his human and religious sense of duty”, the ministry said in a statement.

“The act of the Zionist regime in targeting Dr Heydari, who was acting as a medic to treat the wounded and help patients, is a clear violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions that forbid attacks on hospitals and medical centres and doctors and medical professionals, and is considered a war crime,” it said.

The ministry also called on relevant organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to document repeated instances of “gross violations of international humanitarian law” by the Israeli military in Lebanon.