ShareTEHRAN: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has called on Islamic and Arab countries to cooperate in confronting Zionists as it wages a deadly war triggered by a surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hamas’s weekend onslaught saw hundreds of fighters cross into the border in vehicles, by air and by sea, killing 1,200 people and seizing 150 hostages under the cover of a deluge of rockets. About another 1,200 people have been killed in thousands of airstrikes on Gaza, while a “complete siege” has been imposed on the impoverished Palestinian enclave of over 2.4 million people.
“Today, all the Islamic and Arab countries and all the free people of the world must reach a serious convergence and cooperation in the path of stopping the crimes of the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation,” Raisi told his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad in a phone call late Wednesday. Raisi stated that in order to stop the “genocide of the Palestinians by the Zionists”, Iran will coordinate with Islamic countries “as soon as possible”, the Iranian presidency website said on Thursday. Iran, which backs Hamas, on Saturday celebrated the assault, though it insisted it was not involved in it.
During his call with Assad, Raisi also lashed out at Arab countries that have recently normalized or are in discussion to establish ties with Zionist entity. “Today, all those who made public their relations with the Zionist regime under the pretext of defending the rights of the Palestinians were disgraced, and it has been proven to the whole world that the Zionist regime is in its weakest state,” Raisi said. During the call, Assad similarly emphasized the “necessity of rapid action at the Arab and Islamic levels to protect the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, and to stop the raids targeting children and women”.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and Iran’s president spoke by phone about the war between Zionists and Hamas, Saudi state media said early Thursday, their first call since a surprise rapprochement in March. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a call on Wednesday from the Iranian leader, Ebrahim Raisi, during which they discussed “the current military situation in Gaza and its environs”, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. Prince Mohammed told Raisi that Riyadh is “communicating with all international and regional parties to stop the ongoing escalation”, SPA said.
He also stressed “the kingdom’s firm position towards supporting the Palestinian cause”, it said. Iranian state news agency IRNA also reported on the call, saying the two men discussed the “need to end war crimes against Palestine”. Hamas launched a surprise attack on Zionist entity on Saturday that Zionist forces say killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians. In Gaza, officials have reported more than 1,200 people killed in retaliatory campaign of air and artillery strikes. As war rages on, fears have mounted over the fate of at least 150 hostages—mostly Zionists but also including foreign and dual nationals—held in Gaza by Hamas.
Analysts say the war has dealt a heavy blow to a possible landmark normalization deal between Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, and Zionist entity. That process has been driven by US President Joe Biden’s administration, with Riyadh bargaining hard for benefits from Washington including security guarantees and help developing a civilian nuclear program.
Iran has long financially and militarily backed Hamas but insists it had no involvement in Saturday’s assault. Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March they had agreed to restore ties, ending a seven-year rupture in a deal brokered by China. Prince Mohammed also spoke by phone on Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which the 38-year-old said he was “exerting unremitting efforts through regional and international communication to achieve coordination that pushes for a halt of the current escalation”.
He delivered a similar message in a separate call with French President Emmanuel Macron, saying Riyadh was “working to create conditions to bring stability and restore the path of peace to ensure that the Palestinian people would achieve their fair and legitimate rights”, according to a foreign ministry readout published early Thursday on social media. Prince Mohammed also told Macron the kingdom rejected “targeting civilians or disrupting the infrastructure and vital interests that affect their daily lives.” - AFP
