Qassem Soleimani: Iran prepared to support Palestinian forces against Israel

Qassem Soleimani: Iran prepared to support Palestinian forces against Israel
Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani said Tehran is ready to extend support to Palestinian forces in the Gaza Strip, days after a controversial US move.

2 min read
12 December, 2017
Soleimani offered assistance to Palestinian factions during a phone call [Anadolu]

Iran is prepared to support Palestinian forces in the Gaza Strip fighting Israel, Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani said just days after US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The offer was made during a phone call between the commander of the al-Quds force and leaders of groups in Gaza late on Monday, according to the Revolutionary Guard Corps’ website, Sepah News.

Details surrounding the extent of assistance was not reported, however Soleimani mentioned other forces from within the region were also ready to defend the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

The comments came just a day after Lebanon’s Hizballah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called on all “resistance” groups in the region to create a unified strategy to retrieve Jerusalem, warning the move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is "the beginning of the end" for the Jewish state.

On Monday, thousands of supporters of Hizballah demonstrated in Beirut, chanting "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" in protest over the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Protesters marched through Hizballah’s south Beirut bastion, carrying banners reading "Jerusalem, Eternal Capital of Palestine" and "Jerusalem is Ours".

Nasrallah had called for the demonstration last week after US President Donald Trump decided to upend decades of diplomatic protocol by recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Meanwhile, Palestine’s Hamas also called for a third “intifada” in response to the move last week.

"This intifada will be called the Intifada of the Stone," the leader of the Palestinian movement said.

He described Trump's decision as an "aggression on our people and a war on our safety."

Haniya described Trump as an oppressor and demanded that Arab states boycott America while it continues to violate Palestinian rights and sovereignty.

He also denounced the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, which analysts say has been killed by the Trump move.

Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital, a position nearly the entire world rejects saying its status should be determined in peace talks with the Palestinians.

Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and many Arab leaders and others have reacted in anger.  

Trump's move has been condemned worldwide and protests have been taking place globally including in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan.