TEHRAN -- Iran strongly has condemned Israeli settlers’ latest violation of the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in the occupied city of Al-Quds, calling it a reaction to the Zionist regime’s recent defeat in the face of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani denounced “Zionists’ repeated desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and shouting of racist slogans against Palestinians and Muslims.”
The remarks came a day after hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed the compound -- which is Islam’s third-holiest site -- in Al-Quds’ Old City amid heavy protection provided for them by thousands of Zionist troops.
The violation took place ahead of the so-called “flag march” by Israelis, which marks the regime’s 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, including East Al-Quds -- which Palestinian want as the capital of their future state.
Kanaani called the settlers’ infringement on the compound “a reaction to the [Zionist regime’s] disastrous defeat in the face of Gaza’s heroic resistance.”
The Tel Aviv regime launched a campaign of deadly bombings against the Gaza Strip on May 9, prompting the Islamic Jihad, a resistance group based in the coastal sliver, to fire over 1,000 rockets toward the occupied territories.
The conflict marked the worst episode of fighting between Gaza’s resistance factions and the Israeli regime since a 10-day war imposed by Tel Aviv on the blockaded territory in 2021.
After five days of fighting, the two sides agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Saturday night.
“Is the international community still in any doubt concerning the apartheid nature of the Zionist regime,” Kanaani said, referring to the deeply discriminatory dual legal and political system, which the regime has been practicing in favor of Israeli settlers and against Palestinians in the West Bank for decades.