Mashaal meets with Iranians
Photo: AP
Mashaal: Enemy surprised by determination in Gaza
Hamas politburo chief meets with secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, says any ceasefire offer 'will involve opening of crossings'
Saeed Jalili, the secretary of Iran's
Supreme National Security Council, is heading a delegation visiting Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad
on the situation in the Gaza Strip, Iranian news agencies reported Saturday morning.
Jalili also met with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal. According to a statement released by the Iranian official's office, Mashaal told him that any offer for a ceasefire "will involve an immediate end to the Israeli aggression and will have to take into account the human rights of the people in Gaza, an end to the blockade and a permanent opening of all the crossings, including the Rafah crossing."
This is the first visit to Syria by a high-ranking Iranian official since the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Cast Lead in Gaza last Saturday. The details of the Jalili's meeting with Assad were unavailable.
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Jalili told Mashaal that those who support Israel openly or silently "made a wrong calculation not just in terms of morals, but also in the diplomatic field, as they are linking their fate to the fate of this regime."
The Hamas leader briefed the Iranian official on the recent developments in Gaza and said that "the enemy was surprised by the people's determination and morale."
He added that "Israel committed a great sin when it attacked Gaza."
During his meeting with Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Salah, Jalili praised the Gaza residents' "resistance", expressing his support for the rocket fire and acts of terror against Israeli soldiers.
Salah thanked Jalili for his support of the Palestinian people, saying that "the resistance of the people in Gaza reveals the signs of defeat of the Zionist regime."
He added, "Israel's inhuman and barbaric face is not clearer after the crimes it committed in Gaza."
According to a statement issued by Jalili's office, the Iranian official said during his meeting with the Islamic Jihad leader that "the Zionist regime is one step closer to its collapse following the crimes committed in Gaza."
As far as Iran is concerned, an offensive in Gaza points to Israel's weakness. Following his visit to Syria, Jalili is expected to continue to Lebanon for a series of meetings with the country's senior officials.
