‘Violation Of International Law’: China Strongly Condemns Attack On Iranian Consulate In Syria

China “strongly condemned” the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria on Tuesday, saying that it is a “serious and unacceptable violation of international law”.

During a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi expressed his country’s opposition to the attack.

China’s reaction comes amid the rising spiral of violence in West Asia and the prevailing situation between Iran and Israel.

IRANIAN EMBASSY ANNEX HIT BY ISRAELI STRIKES

Israeli strikes had hit an Iranian embassy annex building in Syria’s capital on April 1, killed seven members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, which runs Iran’s overseas military operations.

Among the dead, were Brigadier Generals Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, both senior commanders in the Quds Force, Guards’ foreign operations arm.

The Israeli attack targeted the Iranian consulate building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood of Damascus, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA.

ALSO READ | Iran Opens New Consulate In Syria’s Damascus Week After Alleged Israeli Strike Levelled Old Premises

The strikes in Damascus completely destroyed the annex building, Iranian media had reported, adding that the ambassador was unharmed.

Iranian foreign minister Abdollahian had called for the international community to act after the Israeli attack on their consulate in Damascus.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi had condemned the deadly air strike and said “cowardly crime will not go unanswered”. “After repeated defeats and failures against the faith and will of the Resistance Front fighters, the Zionist regime has put blind assassinations on its agenda in the struggle to save itself,” Raisi had said on his office’s website.

IRAN’S ATTACK ON ISRAEL

Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles at Israel in an unprecedented attack late on Saturday, the Israeli army had announced, in a major escalation of the long-running covert war between the regional foes.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirmed the Iranian attack, which had been anticipated for days.

President Joe Biden had said that US forces helped Israel shoot down nearly all the drones and missiles fired by Iran but appeared to guide the key US ally away from retaliating against Tehran by saying Israel had shown its strength.

“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks — sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” Biden said.