Iran’s Top Diplomat: Palestinian Factions Haven’t Requested Our Intervention in the War

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas officials in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas officials in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
TT
20

Iran’s Top Diplomat: Palestinian Factions Haven’t Requested Our Intervention in the War

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas officials in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian meets Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas officials in Doha (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian informed the press on Saturday that Tehran has not received any request from Palestinian factions to enter the war.

This comes as the office of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei broke its silence regarding statements attributed to him during a meeting with the political bureau chief of Hamas earlier this month, where he emphasized that Iran did not directly enter the war due to not being informed about the Oct. 7 attack beforehand.
A Hezbollah-affiliated weekly released by Khamenei’s office dismissed a report by Reuters on the meeting between Khamenei and Ismail Haniyeh as fundamentally untrue.
The publication mentioned that while the Supreme Leader reaffirmed Iran’s consistent policy during the meeting with Haniyeh, Reuters falsely claimed blame was directed at Haniyeh for not informing Iran about the attack and asserted that Iran had no plans to enter the war.
Hamas had already denied the report on Thursday.
Reuters had attributed statements to three officials from Iran, Hamas, and informed sources on Wednesday, claiming that Khamenei had informed Haniyeh that Iran would not enter the war on behalf of Hamas since it was not informed about the Oct. 7 attack.
The sources also quoted Khamenei stating that Iran, a long-time supporter of Hamas, would continue providing political and moral support without direct intervention.
A Hamas official told Reuters that Khamenei urged Haniyeh to silence voices calling for Iran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, to join the battle against Israel with full force.
Nevertheless, Iran will do “whatever it takes” to help Hamas in its war with Israel, Iran’s Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani said in a message to top Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, state media reported on Thursday.
“We stand by our fraternal pledge that unites us and we assure you that we will do whatever it takes in this historic battle,” Qaani added in the letter, shared by Iranian state news agency IRNA.



Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
TT
20

Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)

The foreign ministers of Syria, Türkiye and Jordan, meeting Monday in Ankara, called on Israel to cease attacks on Syria and to withdraw troops from the country.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December, often targeting military sites and killing dozens of people.

Israeli officials have also described Syria's new authorities as extremists and claimed to defend the country's Druze minority with a recent spate of attacks.

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference with his Jordanian and Syrian counterparts that "Israel's expansionism poses a significant threat to the security, stability and future of Syria."

"This must come to an end. And we are on the same page about this. Syria needs to be supported to prevent terrorist organizations from settling in this region," Fidan added, noting that Syria shares a 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Türkiye.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told the joint press conference that "our borders are constantly violated by Israeli attacks".

The Israeli strikes are "calculated escalations aimed at destabilizing Syria and dragging the region into a new cycle of conflict", Shaibani said, decrying "systematic violations of international law and explicit provocations".

He called on the international community to put Israel under "increased pressure" to halt the bombings.

Jordan's top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, said attacks on Syrian soil "will not bring security to Israel and will bring nothing to Syria except ruin and destruction".