Asbarez: U.S.-Israeli Attacks on Iran Claim First Armenian Fatality

The ongoing U.S,-Israeli attack on Iran has cost thousands of lives

The ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran have claimed their first Armenian fatality on Thursday, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia reported on Friday, citing sources at the Tehran Prelacy.

After heavy bombing in Isfahan, Hovhannes Simonian, a resident of the Armenian-populated New Djulfa neighborhood in that city was killed, the editor of the Tehran-based Alik Daily told Pastinfo.am in Armenia.

The US-Israeli airstrike on a residential neighborhood in the central Iranian city of Isfahan has claimed the lives of 26 people, Iranian officials confirmed Friday. According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, citing the Isfahan Governor’s Office, the victims of Thursday’s attack included seven women and seven children—more than half of the total fatalities.

“His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia continues to monitor the situation and, on a daily basis, is in contact with Prelacy leaders in the war-impacted countries,” a statement from the Catholicosate said on Friday.

Representatives of the prelacies of Tehran and Isfahan told the Catholicos that their cities were under heavy bombardment the past few days.

On a related matter, Catholicos Aram I invited the three national Armenian political parties—the Social Democratic Hunchagian Party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and the Armenian Democratic Liberal Ramgavar Party—to a consultation on Monday to address the rapidly evolving situation in Lebanon, as Israeli forces continue their air and ground attack on the country.

The Catholicos convened the session with a comprehensive analysis of the origins, developments, and strategic objectives of the war in the Middle East, followed by a briefing on the conditions facing Armenian communities across the affected countries where there are prelacies. Participants engaged in substantive discussions on the military and political dynamics shaping the region, with particular focus on Lebanon.

The meeting highlighted the human and economic aspects of the regional conflict, as well as the profound humanitarian crisis it has triggered. Key concerns raised included the unprecedented surge in internal Lebanese displacement, the resulting demographic shifts, mounting domestic hardships, a deepening economic crisis, and the far-reaching consequences these developments pose for Lebanese society and its Armenian community.

Following thorough deliberations, Catholicos Aram I issued the following directives:

• The ongoing war in the Middle East — aimed at fundamentally redrawing the region’s political map — is generating widespread disruption that inevitably affects local Armenian communities.
• Spiritual and national leaders across each diocese are called to exercise heightened vigilance, avoid dangerous situations, and coordinate with their respective state authorities on emergency preparedness measures.
• The Armenian community in Lebanon reaffirms its steadfast commitment to the foundational principles of the Lebanese state, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and internal security and peace.
• In light of the severe hardships Lebanon continues to endure, coordinated efforts to preserve peace in Armenian-populated neighborhoods and sustain charitable activities must be maintained and strengthened.
• The Lebanese-Armenian community must remain vigilant and resolute, refraining from involvement in internal Lebanese polarizations and tensions, and upholding its longstanding tradition of pursuing solutions through dialogue.
• Armenian charitable organizations are encouraged to coordinate their efforts in delivering humanitarian and social assistance to those in need.

“In closing, His Holiness Aram I commended the spirit of unity demonstrated through the joint session and emphasized that such consultative meetings — particularly in times of crisis — are not only valuable but essential to the cohesion and resilience of the Armenian community,” a statement from the Catholicosate said.

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