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Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia condemn Israeli attack on Iranian consulate

April 3, 2024 at 10:03 am

A view of posters expressing dissent towards Israel displayed on the streets in both English and Hebrew after Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria’s capital Damascus on April 02, 2024 in Tehran, Iran [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia yesterday condemned the Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Anadolu news agency has reported. The foreign ministries of the three countries issued separate statements denouncing the attack and sending condolences to the victims’ families.

“The attack is an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Syria and undermines its stability and security,” said the Pakistan foreign ministry. “It is a violation of international law and the UN Charter”.

The Indonesian ministry of foreign affairs posted on X that it “strongly condemns” the attack and described it as a “direct violation” of international law. Its Malaysian counterpart said that, “The deliberate targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus is a violation of international norms and diplomatic protocols.” It called on the parties to adhere to international law.

Iran accused Israel of being behind the air strike on the consulate building next to the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. The strike killed two generals and five other officers in the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including General Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon.

Although Israel did not claim responsibility for the attack, Israeli Army Radio said that it “did not target the Iranian embassy building, but rather a building adjacent to the embassy that served as a military headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard.”

The attack came amid heightened tensions in the region over Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 32,800 Palestinians and spawned a major humanitarian crisis.

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