Joumblat: Iran should handle its missing diplomats through diplomatic channels

Lebanese Druze majority leader Walid Joumblat said on Monday that Iran should follow up the case of its four missing diplomats in Lebanon through diplomatic channels, local Elnashra website quoted Joumblat as telling al-Anbaa weekly to be published on Tuesday.

Responding to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah's call on the Lebanese government to handle the issue of the missing Iranians, Joumblat said that following up the whereabouts of the four Iranian diplomats should be the same as following up the Lebanese missing in Syria.

The four Iranian diplomats were kidnapped in 1982 at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon, by the Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) militia, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Hezbollah accused Israel of having the four Iranians in jail, after they were handed over by the LF who was the strongest Israeli ally at that time.

However, Israel handed over a report to Hezbollah saying that the four Iranian diplomats were executed by the LF and did not arrive to Israel.

Last week Nasrallah held the Lebanese government responsible for finding the whereabouts of the missing Iranians, prompting a respond by Prime Minister Fouad Seniora who said that he sent a letter to UN Secretary General last year asking his help in the case.