Spokesman Rejects Claims about Iran’s Alleged Military Presence in Gaza

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast dismissed as “untrue” the allegations made about Iran’s alleged military presence in Gaza, and reiterated Iran’s continued spiritual support for the Palestinian people.

“We have always supported the Palestinian nation’s rights and their struggle spiritually,” Mehman-Parast said in a program on Iran’s state-run TV last evening.

He further underlined that Palestine has always been a key issue in the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always announced that it sides with the Palestinian nation spiritually and has voiced its preparedness to send humanitarian, medical and reconstruction aid to that nation,” he added.

He also asked all Islamic states to have closer cooperation and coordination to defend the rights of the Palestinian people.

“All countries’ support for the rights of the Palestinian people will make the Zionist regime unable to continue its aggressions and crimes.”

Israel triggered an 8-day fighting by assassinating the military chief of the ruling Hamas group on November 14 followed by dozens of airstrikes on Gaza.

In response, Palestinian groups fired over 1,500 missiles and rockets at Israel.

Palestinian resistance groups targeted Tel Aviv and areas near Jerusalem for the first time in the history of confrontations between the two sides, launching a rocket attack in a major escalation of hostilities as Israel pressed forward with relentless airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

Israel called up thousands of reservists and massed troops along the border with Gaza, signaling a ground invasion of the densely populated seaside strip could be imminent.

But the attack on the Israeli settlement, along with an earlier strike on Zionists’ capital Tel Aviv, frightened the Israeli regime, making it drop its aggression plans and ask for third party mediation.

Eventually, a Cairo-mediated ceasefire agreement, which took effect on Wednesday November 21, ended the Israeli attacks, which killed more than 165 Palestinians and injured about 1,269 others.