Iran defense minister: Palestinian victory shamed US, Europe leaders

Iran’s defense minister says the victory of Palestinians over Israel following an eight-day-long bloody war on the Gaza Strip has humiliated the United States and Europe.

“Besides severe frustration of the leaders of the usurping Zionist regime [of Israel], the victory of the people of Gaza also brought about the mortification of the US and Europe’s leaders, who, through their overt and covert instances of support and silence, were the encouragers and supporters of the Zionist regime’s war crimes,” Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said on Thursday.

He said a main achievement of the Palestinian fighters was that Israel’s Iron Dome missile system collapsed under their “crushing and effective rocket response.” “This victory showed the fakeness of this regime to the people of the region and the world.”

Vahidi noted that the Gazans’ courage and perseverance prompted division among Israeli officials as to the continuation of the war.

A Cairo-mediated ceasefire agreement, which took effect on Wednesday, ended the Israeli attacks, which started on November 14, killing more than 160 Palestinians and injuring about 1,200 others.

Prior to the ceasefire, Palestinian resistance fighters incessantly fired retaliatory rockets and missiles towards the Occupied Palestinian Territories, killing at least five Israelis, including one trooper.