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Haniyeh, Nakhalah Contact Zarif, Offer Condolences over Soleimani’s Death

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AP)
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AP)
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Haniyeh, Nakhalah Contact Zarif, Offer Condolences over Soleimani’s Death

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AP)
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. (AP)

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhalah telephoned on Sunday Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and offered their condolences over the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was killed in an American strike last Friday in Iraq.

According to a Hamas statement, Haniyeh praised Soleimani for his role in supporting the resistance and backing the Palestinian people’s rights.

Zarif thanked the Hamas chief for the call and stated that Iran would continue to back “the Palestinian people’s rights and resistance in defense of its land and holy sites.”

For his part, Nakhalah said: “The martyrdom of Soleimani is a sign of pride and dignity against America and the Zionist entity.”

Soleimani’s death is a big loss, but it will break the Palestinian resistance, he added.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has vowed “harsh retaliation” for Soleimani’s killing and dubbed the deceased commander the “international face of resistance.”

Tehran considers both Hamas and the Jihad as part of Iran’s “resistance axis” in the region, in addition to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Shiite groups in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.

However, the relationship between Iran and the Jihad is more advanced than the one with Hamas.

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UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)

Britain unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities including banks and oil companies on Thursday, reversing sanctions imposed during Bashar al-Assad's presidency.

The West is rethinking its approach to Syria after opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group ousted Assad as president in December after more than 13 years of civil war.

"We are lifting asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people," a foreign office spokesperson said.

"At the same time, sanctions on members of the Assad regime and those involved in the illicit trade in captagon remain in place."

Captagon in an addictive amphetamine-like stimulant widely produced in Syria during Assad's rule.

A notice posted on the British government website said entities including the central bank, the Commercial Bank of Syria and the Agricultural Cooperative Bank had been delisted and were no longer subject to an asset freeze.

Syrian Arab Airlines, Syrian Petroleum Company, Syria Trading Oil Company (SYTROL) and Overseas Petroleum Trading were also among those delisted.

Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called repeatedly for the lifting of Western sanctions that were imposed to isolate Assad during the civil war.

Last month, the European Union eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank while keeping in place the sanctions. The US has said its sanctions on the central bank remain in place.

A Syrian government media official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.