Syria
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei speaking in a presser on November 15, 2024. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry/X
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran late on Friday said it “strongly condemns” recent Israeli strikes on Damascus that killed Syrians and Palestinians, calling them a violation of Syrian sovereignty and urging the United Nations to take action.
“The expansion of the Zionist regime’s aggression and crimes to the neighboring countries and the blatant violation of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Syrian government are considered open aggression according to the United Nations Charter,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference.
He extended his condolences to the Syrian government and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Syrian state media on Thursday said an Israeli strike on the Mazzeh neighborhood in Damascus killed at least 15 people and injured 16 others, “including women and children, and incurred significant material damage to private properties and the targeted and neighboring buildings.”
The Israeli military on Telegram said the strikes targeted positions of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Syrian capital.
Tehran said the strikes “require the urgent action of the United Nations Security Council to stop the aggression and hold the neighboring regime accountable.” It also condemned strikes on infrastructure linking Syria and Lebanon.
The Mazzeh neighbourhood, home to key government offices and diplomatic missions, has come under frequent attack. On Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that Israel struck Mazzeh again, this time hitting a residential complex.
On Wednesday, Israel targeted roads and bridges on Syria’s border with Lebanon, injuring 15 Syrian soldiers.
Israel is accused of carrying out hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas in Syria throughout its over a decade-long civil war, often claiming to target pro-Iran militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that supports the Syrian army.
The strikes have increased since October 7 of last year, when Palestinian Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, which retaliated by invading Gaza. The conflict has now spread to Lebanon.
Israel rarely confirms strikes attributed to it in Syria, but has warned repeatedly that it will not tolerate its arch-rival Iran gaining a foothold in the country.
“The expansion of the Zionist regime’s aggression and crimes to the neighboring countries and the blatant violation of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Syrian government are considered open aggression according to the United Nations Charter,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference.
He extended his condolences to the Syrian government and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Syrian state media on Thursday said an Israeli strike on the Mazzeh neighborhood in Damascus killed at least 15 people and injured 16 others, “including women and children, and incurred significant material damage to private properties and the targeted and neighboring buildings.”
The Israeli military on Telegram said the strikes targeted positions of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Syrian capital.
Tehran said the strikes “require the urgent action of the United Nations Security Council to stop the aggression and hold the neighboring regime accountable.” It also condemned strikes on infrastructure linking Syria and Lebanon.
The Mazzeh neighbourhood, home to key government offices and diplomatic missions, has come under frequent attack. On Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that Israel struck Mazzeh again, this time hitting a residential complex.
On Wednesday, Israel targeted roads and bridges on Syria’s border with Lebanon, injuring 15 Syrian soldiers.
Israel is accused of carrying out hundreds of airstrikes on regime-controlled areas in Syria throughout its over a decade-long civil war, often claiming to target pro-Iran militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that supports the Syrian army.
The strikes have increased since October 7 of last year, when Palestinian Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, which retaliated by invading Gaza. The conflict has now spread to Lebanon.
Israel rarely confirms strikes attributed to it in Syria, but has warned repeatedly that it will not tolerate its arch-rival Iran gaining a foothold in the country.
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