DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Meta has removed Instagram and Facebook accounts run on behalf of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after criticism over his support for Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the monthslong war still raging in the Gaza Strip, the company confirmed Friday.
Khamenei and accounts associated with the supreme leader had been praising the Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage.
Immediately after the attack, Khamenei backed Hamas in a speech, saying: “We kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime."
Iran has provided arms and support to Hamas, though Tehran isn't believed to have directed the Oct. 7 attack.
“He’s used these platforms for years to incite violent antisemitism, to legitimize militant anti-zionism and to make genocidal threats,” Greenblatt wrote online.
Persons:
— Meta, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Donald Trump, Mahsa Amini, Tehran isn't, Yemen's, Jonathan Greenblatt, Meta's, “ He’s, ” Greenblatt
Organizations:
United Arab Emirates, —, Iran's, Organizations, U.S ., United Nations, U.S, Trump, Facebook, Green Movement, Twitter, Zionist, Defamation League
Locations:
DUBAI, United Arab, Israel, Gaza, Menlo Park , California, Iran, America, Tehran, East