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."



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 29

A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 29

A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed at least 29 Palestinians, including six children near a water distribution point.

The attacks came with apparent deadlock in a week of indirect talks in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in the territory.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Gaza City was hit by several strikes overnight and in the early morning, killing eight, "including women and children" and wounding others.

An Israeli airstrike hit a family home near the Nuseirat refugee camp, south of Gaza City, resulting in "10 martyrs and several injured", Bassal said.

In central Gaza, six children were among eight people killed when a drone "hit a potable water distribution point in an area for displaced people" in the Nuseirat camp, he added.

Several other people were wounded, he said.

In the territory's south, three people were killed when Israeli jets hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, according to the civil defense spokesman.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has recently intensified its operations across Gaza, more than 21 months into the war triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack.

On Saturday, the military said fighter jets had hit more than 35 "Hamas terror targets" around Beit Hanun in northern Gaza.

The vast majority of Gaza's population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which has created dire humanitarian conditions in the territory.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties.