to report «iusnews»; Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri called on regional countries to adopt measures to stop dispatch of military equipment from the American bases in West Asia towards the Israeli-occupied territories to use in the Gaza war.
Maj. Gen. Baqeri made the remarks in a phone call with Qatari Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah on Thursday -- a day after US President Joe Biden capped a historic trip to Tel Aviv by sending an emphatic message of support to Israel, promising new aid to Tel Aviv. The American leader has stressed that Washington would provide Israel with everything it needed.
The Iranian commander said the Palestinian resistance groups were entitled to self-defense in the face of Israel’s aggression.
“The recent battle of the Palestinian fighters was a response to Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people and its desecration of sanctities, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he added.
The top general slammed the "unjustifiable" silence of Muslims vis-à-vis the Israeli regime's crimes, warning that the resistance groups are highly likely to respond should such savage acts persist.
Baqeri stressed that the regional countries must prevent the transfer of military equipment and weapons from American bases in West Asia to the Israeli-occupied territories.
The Iranian military chief also held a telephone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shuigo, saying the Palestinian resistance groups' military operation falls in line with their legitimate right to self-defense and countering Israel's occupation as well as 70 years of the Zionist regime's suppression and cruelty against the Palestinian people.
Maj. Gen. Baqeri expressed his grave concern over the continuation of widespread violations against civilians and stated, "Such savage behaviors will not be tolerated and independent governments must show a serious reaction."
"The continuation of the Zionist regime's crimes and direct support and assistance provided to it by some countries have further complicated the situation and can lead to the involvement of other players," he added.
The Russian defense minister, for his part, said Moscow pursues a clear stance on establishing a ceasefire and preventing harm to civilians.
Shoigu added that Russia's initiative for the ongoing crisis ended in failure in the United Nations Security Council due to the opposition from some Western countries.
Biden’s historic arrival in wartime Tel Aviv Wednesday – the first trip to Israel by an American president during a time of war – marked his most forceful public show of support for Israel since attacks by Hamas that left 1,400 of Israelis and dozens Americans dead. Other Americans, along with many Israelis, are also being held hostage by Hamas.
Hours after the Hamas military operation against Israel last Saturday, US officials promised ‘rock-solid and unwavering’ support to its closest ally in the Middle East. Washington, which provides about $3bn in annual military aid to Israel, has ordered the movement of military ships and aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support. Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of United States foreign assistance since World War II.
Biden has pledged unwavering support for Israel as its military pummels Gaza with bombardment. He had stated that Washington will provide additional military assistance to Israel, which has since declared war on Hamas.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also said Washington would provide munitions to Israel. The Pentagon chief has also announced the deployment of the second aircraft carrier “to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack”. In the eastern Mediterranean the carrier USS Eisenhower and its accompanying ships will join the USS Gerald R. Ford.
And, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington will never falter from its support for Israel.
Last Saturday, Hamas initiated a multi-pronged surprise military operation via land, sea and air. The group announced it was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians. The attacks have so far killed more than 1,400 and injured over 4,800, according to Israeli officials. Hamas also announced it is holding between at least 200 and 250 hostages.
Following the multi-front attack by Hamas, Israel carried out heavy bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 3,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, and wounding over 12,000 others. Tel Aviv has also ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, saying he would halt its supply of electricity, food, water and fuel.
Israel’s military has also ordered 1.1 million people living in Northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, amid signs it is set to ramp up its offensive.
The UN warned it is “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences". The World Health Organization (WHO) has also cautioned that a mass evacuation of the Northern Gaza Strip would be "disastrous" for hospital patients, with hospitals in the South already at full capacity.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. It has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% of its population relying on humanitarian assistance.
Human rights groups have stressed that depriving an occupied population of basic necessities is a war crime. Palestinian health officials have warned Gaza is rapidly running out of water and electricity, and the population faces severe shortages of food and medicine. They say hospitals in the besieged territory are under constant bombardment and facing imminent shutdown due to a lack of fuel.
Tehran says the history of the apartheid regime is full of assassinations, massacre, torture and killing of Palestinian kids, and described Tel Aviv regime's atrocities and massacre of Palestinian women and children as indicative of the destitute of Zionists. Iranian officials say the Tel Aviv regime has been struggling for more than 70 years to exit its identity crisis which has been mixed with genocide, plunder, forced displacement and scores of other inhumane moves.
