Syrian Defense Minister Visits Tehran

Salami receives Abbas in Tehran. (ISNA)
Salami receives Abbas in Tehran. (ISNA)
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Syrian Defense Minister Visits Tehran

Salami receives Abbas in Tehran. (ISNA)
Salami receives Abbas in Tehran. (ISNA)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday affirmed his country’s support to the Syrian people during the reconstruction process.

His remark was made as he received Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas.

Raisi described the relations between the two countries as “strategic”, according to the state-run ISNA news agency.

“Relations between the two countries are based on common beliefs and the spirit of resilience as well,” the Iranian President said.

Iran is ready, during the reconstruction process, to support the Syrian people through enhancing comprehensive economic cooperation, Raisi added.

Abbas, for his part, said that “Syria, with the support of brothers and true friendly states, has been able to achieve victory in the war on terror.”

He described relations between Syria and Iran as deeply-rooted that are progressing daily, saying no one can harm those ties.

Moreover, Abbas met with Commander of the Revolutionary Guard Hossein Salami.

The former commended Iran’s support to Syria in fighting ISIS.

The Syrian defense minister also highlighted the necessity of promoting cooperation between Syria and Iran in various military and training sectors to stand against the enemies and defeat them.

Salami told the Syrian official that Tehran is ready to help the Syrian armed forces. He underscored the importance of the exchange of expertise, especially in cyber security, intelligence, and electronic warfare.



Borrell: Israel Committing ‘Genocide’ in Gaza

Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell collects the Charles V European award (EPA)
Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell collects the Charles V European award (EPA)
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Borrell: Israel Committing ‘Genocide’ in Gaza

Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell collects the Charles V European award (EPA)
Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell collects the Charles V European award (EPA)

The former EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has launched a blistering attack on Israel, accusing its government of committing genocide in Gaza and “carrying out the largest ethnic-cleansing operation since the end of the second world war in order to create a splendid holiday destination.”

According to The Guardian newspaper, Borrell also criticized the bloc’s failure to use all the means at its disposal to influence Israel, saying expressions of regret were simply not enough.

As he collected the Charles V European award in front of dignitaries including King Felipe in south-west Spain on Friday, the former EU chief said the horrors Israel had suffered in the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 could not justify the horrors it had subsequently inflicted on Gaza.

“We’re facing the largest ethnic cleansing operation since the end of the second world war in order to create a splendid holiday destination once all the millions of tons of rubble have been cleared from Gaza and the Palestinians have died or gone away,” he said in a characteristically direct speech.

Last February, US President Donald Trump suggested that nearly two million Palestinians should be relocated from battle-leveled Gaza to new homes elsewhere so that the US could send troops to the Strip, take ownership and build the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

“You build really good quality housing, like a beautiful town, like some place where they can live and not die, because Gaza is a guarantee that they’re going to end up dying,” Trump told reporters after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House.

Borrell accused Israel of violating all the rules of conflict and of using the starvation of Gaza’s civilian population as a “weapon of war.”

“Three times more explosive power has been dropped on Gaza than was used in the Hiroshima bomb,” he said.

“And for months now, nothing has been getting into Gaza. Nothing: no water, no food, no electricity, no fuel, no medical services. That’s what Netanyahu’s ministers have said and it’s what they’ve done.”

He added: “We all know what’s going on there, and we’ve all heard the objectives stated by Netanyahu’s ministers, which are clear declarations of genocidal intent. Seldom have I heard the leader of a state so clearly outline a plan that fits the legal definition of genocide.”