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Iran: Strike on Our Damascus Consulate a ‘Crazy Step’, Washington is Involved

Rescue workers search through the rubble of a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Damascus (AFP)
Rescue workers search through the rubble of a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Damascus (AFP)
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Iran: Strike on Our Damascus Consulate a ‘Crazy Step’, Washington is Involved

Rescue workers search through the rubble of a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Damascus (AFP)
Rescue workers search through the rubble of a building annexed to the Iranian embassy in Damascus (AFP)

Major General Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said on Saturday that the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus is a “crazy move” and that Washington is involved in it, the Arab World Press agency reported on Saturday.
In a speech during the funeral procession of the Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Baqeri said that the retaliation for his killing "will be at the appropriate time and place, and it will make (the enemy) regret their action."

He added saying: "We are the ones who determine the method of retaliation. Israel must know that its days are numbered, and its demise is imminent".
The Iranian consulate in Damascus was bombed on Monday in a strike that killed 13 people, including Zahedi, a senior commander in its Quds Force, which is an elite foreign espionage and paramilitary arm.

 

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Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
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Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)

The case of an Italian journalist being held in Iran is "complicated", but Rome hopes to bring 29-year-old Cecilia Sala home quickly, Italy's foreign minister said on Saturday.

Sala, 29, who works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained in Tehran on Dec. 19 but her arrest was only made public on Friday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hoped the issue could be resolved quickly but added: "It doesn't depend on us."

"We're trying to solve an issue that's complicated," he was quoted as saying by the news agency ANSA.

Tajani said Sala was being held in a single cell, in decent conditions that Italy would keep monitoring:

"It looks like she is being treated in a way that is respectful of personal dignity," he said. "So far we haven't had negative feedback."

Tajani said the official reason for Sala's detention was not yet clear, but that he hoped her lawyer could visit her soon and find out more.

There was no official public confirmation of the arrest from Iran, and Tajani declined to say whether it might be linked to the arrest of an Iranian in Italy this month at the request of the US.

Sala, who is being held in Tehran's Evin prison, left Italy for Iran on Dec. 12 with a valid journalist visa, Chora Media said on Friday. She had been due to fly back to Rome on Dec. 20.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was following Sala's case closely with the aim of bringing her home as soon as possible, urging the media to treat the issue with the "necessary caution".