BEIRUT, Lebanon — A suicide bomber straps on an explosive vest and boards a bus, but the passengers challenge him with exhortations to love and be tolerant.

So begins a new TV advertisement from a Middle Eastern telecommunications company that has set off impassioned debates across the Arab world for its use of images of victims of the region’s violence.

The company, Zain, which is based in Kuwait, released the advertisement on Friday, before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The video quickly lit up the internet, attracting nearly three million views on YouTube and widespread sharing and discussion on social media.

The three-minute video begins with scenes of children playing soccer and an old man kissing a baby’s feet, mixed with images of a suicide bomber preparing to carry out an attack.