Iranian, Syrian Presidents Hold Phone Conversation, Discuss Regional Tensions

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held phone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad (IRNA)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held phone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad (IRNA)
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Iranian, Syrian Presidents Hold Phone Conversation, Discuss Regional Tensions

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held phone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad (IRNA)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held phone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad (IRNA)

Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi discussed in a phone call on Sunday the tensions in the region, a Syrian presidential statement announced.

According to AFP, the Presidency said the phone call dealt with the assaults of the Israeli occupation forces on al-Aqsa Mosque and on worshippers.

The two presidents considered that the assaults reflect the aggressive policy of the Israeli entity, and are inseparable from the ones against Syria targeting the civilians.

The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations and developments in the region, especially in light of the prevailing positive political atmosphere.

Raisi stressed the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, considering that combating terrorism stems from supporting national sovereignty in Syria.

Meanwhile, in a statement quoted by the Iranian news agency, IRNA, Iran’s Presidency said Raisi told Assad that the crimes of the Zionist regime show its weakness and are also evidence of a bright and promising future for the resistance.

The Iranian president said that the global system is changing in favor of the axis of resistance and against the arrogance system and the Zionist regime, adding that the crimes of the Zionist regime are a sign of its weakness and desperation, and is proof that the future for the resistance movement is bright and hopeful.

Early on Wednesday, the Israeli police stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, while Tel Aviv strengthened its forces in the occupied West Bank. Later, rockets were fired from Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip toward Israel, which responded with air strikes.

On Sunday, Israeli jets hit Syrian military targets in response to rockets launched towards Israeli-controlled territory overnight, Israel's military said, as violence flared again following cross-border exchanges of fire during the week.

Iran is Syria’s main regional ally. Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2011, Tehran has provided Damascus with extensive economic and military support, especially by deploying military advisers in the country.

Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to Damascus, Alexander Efimov, revealed that the date of the quadripartite meeting at the level of the foreign ministers of Syria, Türkiye, Iran, and Russia has been postponed to next month.

In a statement to the Syrian newspaper “Al-Watan”, Efimov said that the meeting, which was scheduled for Monday, has been rescheduled for early May, stressing that “contacts and consultations continue between the parties to achieve positive results on this issue."

Efimov stressed that “the path of normalizing relations between Syria and Türkiye is long, and all files and issues cannot be resolved and discussed in one or more rounds of negotiations.”

Last Tuesday, a meeting on Syria at the level of deputy foreign ministers between Türkiye, Russia, Iran, and Syria was held in Moscow.

The meeting was the first political contact between Damascus and Ankara since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011 and the resulting tension in relations between the two neighbors.



Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the "weaponization" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organization.

Over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the Israeli military while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since it began work in late May, UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.

The death toll has been independently verified by his office, he added.

"Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food," he said, describing the system as "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism".

"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: "The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law."

Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.