Syrian Opposition Accuses Iran of ‘Discreet Hindrance’ of Geneva Talks

 A general view shows the fifth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on July 5/AFP
A general view shows the fifth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on July 5/AFP
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Syrian Opposition Accuses Iran of ‘Discreet Hindrance’ of Geneva Talks

 A general view shows the fifth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on July 5/AFP
A general view shows the fifth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on July 5/AFP

The Syrian opposition accuses Iran of secretly hindering holding talks and reaching a political solution in Syria -- the opposition didn’t acquit Russia but it saw that the goals of Russia and Iran at this stage are different.

While Iran’s ideological approach seeks remaining in Syria, Moscow is in a quest to end the crisis before the presidential elections.

HNC Spokesman Yahya Aridi said: “We don’t need to see the turban (in a hint on Iranian officials) to be certain that there is an Iranian meddling and a hindering of the solution. We affirm that if the decision was in Tehran’s hand, then the regime delegation wouldn’t have returned to Geneva after it left to Damascus for a week. Though its return was of no benefit.”

Aridi declared to Asharq Al-Awsat that the disputes between Russia and Iran appear in the military and political negotiations.

Lebanese Researcher Dr. Bahaa Abou Kroum differentiated between the Russian and Iranian aspiration.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Russia reached a phase of spiritual sufficiency that allows it to move to the political phase in Syria. But this is not the case regarding Iran, added Abou Kroum, as it seeks resting in Syria and is in its favor that the crisis continues.

To Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Syrian opposition delegation member Khaled al-Mahamid said that “Our problem is not with the regime but with Iran – it is the one that determines the path of political negotiation and it is the one that frustrated the last round of Geneva talks.”

He added, “Iran doesn’t want a political solution but the continuity of military escalation to ensure remaining in Syria since it knows well that even among the pro-regime it has no audience or popularity."



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.