Amidst international outcry, condemnations flooded in following an Israeli airstrike, which flattened the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, on Monday.
The strike claimed the lives of two high-ranking officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), intensifying tensions in the region.
Iran and Russia summoned a United Nations Security Council meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, at 3 pm New York time.
‘Dangerous Zionist Escalation’
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said in a statement on Monday night that the Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate was a clear violation of international law.
The attack is “a flagrant violation of international law, an encroachment on the sovereignty of both Syria and Iran, and a dangerous Zionist escalation,” the statement said.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad also condemned the strike, noting that Israel resorts to such moves to cover up its failure in the Gaza Strip.
“This cowardly Zionist attack is an attempt by the enemy to expand aggression and escape failure in Gaza,” it said in a statement, adding, “We affirm that the enemy will continue to fail, and will be defeated on all fronts.”
‘Israeli Crime Will Not Go Unpunished’
The Yemeni Armed Forces, affiliated with the Ansarallah movement, emphasized that the Israeli airstrike is an aggression on two brotherly countries.
It added in a statement that Israel is viciously attempting to portray itself as a victor by resorting to such attacks.
For its part, the Lebanese Resistance movement, Hezbollah, also condemned the attack, vowing that this strike will not remain unanswered.
#BREAKING Hezbollah says targeting of Iranian consulate building in Damascus ‘will not go unpunished’ pic.twitter.com/bNPxChQgn2
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) April 2, 2024
“This crime will certainly not go without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge,” Hezbollah said in a statement.
Leader of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement Ammar al-Hakim urged the international community to take immediate action to stop the violation of the sovereignty of regional countries by the Israeli regime.
‘Regional Escalation’
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine condemned the Israeli raid, arguing in a statement that such crimes will not force Iran to halt its support for the Palestinian resistance.
“The Zionist entity is intent on dragging the region into significant escalation,” it said, warning that the Israeli attack will only “plunge its citizens into a bloodbath and disasters they cannot bear.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement to condemn the airstrike, emphasizing that there is no justification to the attack of diplomatic centers.
Oman’s Foreign Ministry described the move as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and all diplomatic regulations.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry also announced that the Arab country condemns the targeting of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, emphasizing that this attack is a blatant violation of international laws.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar also described the attack as an infringement of international conventions and diplomatic norms.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry urged the UN Security Council to abide by its commitment to guaranteeing the security of the region.
Russia and China
Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs of Russia, condemned the Israeli attack during a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Kasem Jalili on Tuesday, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
“Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria is a terrorist act that should be condemned worldwide,” he noted, according to IRNA.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to hold an emergency meeting following a deadly Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of #Damascus, a Russian diplomat says. pic.twitter.com/1LfBIMQtaO
— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) April 2, 2024
China joined “the chorus of condemnation” over the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, according to the South China Morning Post.
“China condemns the attack,” said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. “The security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated, and Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected.”
“The current situation in the Middle East is turbulent, and we oppose any actions that lead to an escalation of tension.”
(PC, IRNA, Agencies)