Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian inaugurated a new site for Iranian consular services in the Syrian capital on Monday, Syrian state media reported, in a building near the previous consulate flattened in an Israeli airstrike last week.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Iran's ambassador in Damascus Hossein Akbari, stand together near Iran's consulate in Damascus that was targeted in a suspected Israeli attack on April 1, in Damascus, April 8, 2024. Reuters/Firas Makdesi
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian inaugurated a new site for Iranian consular services in the Syrian capital on Monday, Syrian state media reported, in a building near the previous consulate flattened in an Israeli airstrike last week.
The strike, which flattened the consular building adjacent to Iran's embassy and killed seven Iranian military officers including two senior commanders, was an escalation of Israeli attacks on Iranian interests in Syria alongside the Gaza war.
It drew condemnations from the United Nations and European Union for striking diplomatic premises, and Iran has vowed revenge.
Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad attended the opening of the new consular building, alongside Amirabdollahian who is concluding a regional tour in Syria, according to Syria's state news agency SANA. The pair then visited one of those wounded in the strike who was still in the hospital being treated.
A member of the Iranian delegation told Reuters the new consular building had previously housed the headquarters of an Iranian-Syrian automobile venture.
In a joint press conference, Mekdad said Syria stood with the "resistance" factions in the region - Iran's term for its allies in the region who are sworn enemies of Israel - but did not elaborate on whether Syria would respond directly. Amirabdollahian repeated that Israel would "be punished" for hitting the consular building but did not provide specifics.
Amirabdollahian concluded his visit to Damascus after a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Until now, Tehran has avoided directly entering the fray in the Gaza war, while supporting allies' attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets.
Syria is controlled by Russia and Iran
Reporting by Maya Gebeily, Kinda Makieh, Firas Makdesi, Firouz Sedarat and Adam Makary
An apparent drone attack - claimed by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia - hit central Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday, killing one man and slightly wounding four others, the Israeli military and emergency services said.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, called Iran's newly elected President Massoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday to congratulate him on his recent election victory, according to Saudi state media reports.
Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Wednesday that disruption to its container shipping via the Red Sea had extended beyond trade routes between the Far East and Europe to its entire global network.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.