General Haj Rahimi was killed along with six other Iranian military advisors including General Mohammad Reza Zahedi in an airstrike by the Zionist regime against Iran’s consulate section in Damascus.
Iran has vowed a crushing response.
Dozens of French lawmakers ask President Macron to halt arms sale to Israel
The joint letter sent to Macron was shared on X by left-wing lawmaker and deputy group leader of the La France Insoumise party, Mathilde Panot.
“Because France must not, cannot, and will not break international law, 115 members of parliament expressly call on the President of the Republic to immediately halt the sale of arms to Israel,” said Panor.
“France’s role is to promote peace, not to be complicit in genocide.”
The lawmakers stressed in the letter that even arms sales “deemed purely defensive” should be halted to Tel Aviv.
“It seems important to remember that similar measures have already been taken by other countries, such as Canada, the Netherlands and Spain,” they added.
“It is time for France to rise to the historic moment. “
Flouting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where at least 33,100 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 75,750 injured since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the ICJ. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Lawyers sue German government to stop arms exports to Israel amid Gaza war
Ahmed Abed, a lawyer representing Palestinian families, said they have filed an “urgent application” to the court amid ongoing Israeli war crimes and worrying signs of genocide in Gaza.
“Germany has a constitutional responsibility to protect human life. The German government must stop its arms exports to Israel, as they are in violation of international law. The government cannot claim that it is not aware of this,” he told a news conference in Berlin.
Despite growing public pressure, Berlin remains supportive of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, arguing that the country bears special responsibility for Israel because of its Nazi history.
The German government approved €326.5 million ($354 million) worth of weapons exports to Israel in 2023, the majority of which were approved after Oct. 7, 2023, a tenfold increase compared to 2022.
The Lawyers’ Collective said Germany’s arms exports constitute a violation under international law, and are in breach of domestic law, particularly the War Weapons Control Act.
“The criteria for the approval of arms exports include, among other things, that the weapons are not used against Germany’s obligations of the international law, in this case that Israel does not violate human rights and international humanitarian law,” the lawyers announced in a statement.
“Since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its decision of January 26, 2024 already sees evidence of genocide in Gaza, the Lawyers’ Collective believes that the delivery of weapons is contrary to these obligations. The aim of the urgent motion is therefore to immediately stop future approvals of weapons deliveries to Israel, and to revoke approvals that have already been granted,” they added.
The legal initiative of Gazan families and German lawyers was supported by civil society organizations European Legal Support Center (ELSC), the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) and Law for Palestine under the Justice and Accountability for Palestine Initiative.
Iranian actor Davoudnejad laid to rest
Filmmakers and actors participated in his burial ceremony in Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.
The head of the Iranian Actors’ Association Pejman Bazeghi addressed the event, and expressed sorrow for the early demise of Davoudnejad, who succumbed to his illness at the age of 44.
Unsuccessful gastric bypass surgery was blamed for Davoudnejad’s years-long disease and consequential death.
He acted in many famous Iranian movies and series since his childhood, including “Without a Sanctuary”, “Sweet Agony” and Peaceful Streets”.
He was a son of Alireza Davoudnejad, also a renowned actor and film director.
Iran’s IRGC vows will hand Israel ‘regretful punishment’
The statement came in reaction to the Israeli regime’s missile strikes on Iran’s consular building in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday which killed seven Iranian military advisors affiliated with the IRGC’s Quds Force.
The IRGC assured the Iranians it will surely punish the Israeli regime for the attack.
The statement read, “The national demand for the remorseful punishment of the criminal Zionist enemy will be realized by God’s grace.”
The IRGC also hailed millions of Iranians who took part in the Quds Day rallies in support of Palestine across the country on Friday, when the seven assassinated military advisors were also commemorated.
Iran Leader pardons, commutes sentences of over 2,000 inmates
Ayatollah Khamenei pardoned or commuted the sentences of 2,127 prisoners to mark next week’s Eid al-Fitr celebrations as well as the traditional Iranian Nowruz, the Iranian New Year celebrating the advent of the Spring.
The decision came as the Leader agreed to a request by Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei to suspend or mitigate the sentences of the inmates deemed eligible for parole or reduction of prison sentence.
The prisoners who were granted clemency included inmates convicted by the country’s public and Islamic Revolution courts, the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces, and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.
Ayatollah Khamenei regularly issues such decrees on special occasions.
Article 110 of the Constitution Law gives the Supreme Leader the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of prisoners upon the request of the Chief of the Judiciary.
The clemency, however, does not apply to all types of prisoners, including those who have been sentenced for their role in armed struggle against the country, armed or organized drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery, and embezzlement.
US lawmakers urge Biden to reconsider Israel arms transfer
In a letter released on Friday, 40 lawmakers said the administration should “withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers” until there is a full US investigation into an Israeli air strike on Monday that killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen (WCK), one of whom was a dual US-Canadian citizen.
“If this strike is found to have violated US or international law, we urge you to continue withholding these transfers until those responsible are held accountable,” said the letter, which was signed by progressive Democrats as well as former House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate – or arbitrarily denies or restricts – the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
Biden has been facing growing challenges from within his own Democratic Party over his failure to call for an immediate ceasefire and the continuing flow of military aid to Israel.
Biden signalled to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tense call on Thursday that US policy could change if Israel did not take steps to limit civilian casualties in Gaza and address the spiralling humanitarian crisis there.
After the phone conversation, Israel announced steps it was taking to increase entry points for humanitarian aid deliveries to get into the Palestinian enclave, as well as acceptance for more aid transiting from Jordan.
Regarding the WCK aid convoy deaths, Israeli government said it would conduct its own investigation.
The White House will not conduct an independent or separate investigation, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said this week, even after the WCK organisation urged that there be third-party investigations.
The lawmakers called on the Biden administration to do its own probe into the deadly incident.
“We strongly urge your administration to conduct a thorough investigation into this air strike to determine how the aid convoy could have been mistakenly targeted despite coordinating their movements with the Israeli military and travelling in clearly marked vehicles,” the letter said, adding that US efforts to bring more aid into the enclave are insufficient to meet the “extraordinary need on the ground”.
The letter also urged the administration to place conditions on any future military aid to Israel to ensure it is used in accordance with US law.
Source: Death toll in terrorist attacks in Iran’s southeast rises to 15
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Fars News Agency on Saturday that the 11 of the victims of the armed raids were with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and four of them were Law Enforcement forces.
Terrorists affiliated with separatist Jaish al-Adl group staged a multi-prong attack in the cities of Rask and Chabahar.
After an hours-long conflict, the armed militants failed in their attempt to seize the strategic locations in the cities and had to flee. The Iranian security forces killed dozens of the armed thugs.
The Pakistan-based group, which wants to cede Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan Province, is responsible for several terrorist attacks in the border region.
Iran has called on Pakistan on several occasions to pin down the terrorist group.
Iran asks UN Security Council to condemn recent terrorist attacks in Sistan and Baluchestan Province
In a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the rotating president of the Security Council Vanessa Frazier on Friday, Iravani wrote that the recent “reprehensible and cowardly” terrorist attacks came only two days after an Israeli airstrike against the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Syria.
“The [so-called] Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group, which is sponsored by outsiders, carried out a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in the last hours of Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Chabahar and Rask Counties of Sistan and Baluchestan Province with intent to undermine peace and stability. The assailants targeted five important public facilities, military bases and security control centers, and took a large number of civilians hostage.”
“But despite their sinister motive, the quick and courageous reaction of Iran’s security and law enforcement forces thwarted their attempt to overtake military and security centers in Chabahar and Rask. During the anti-terrorist operation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s security forces, all the hostages were successfully rescued,” Iravani emphasized.
The top Iranian diplomat went on to say that the terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 10 police officers, and left several others injured. Another 44 civilians also sustained injuries in the process, of whom 29 have been treated and discharged while the rest are receiving treatment at Chabahar Hospital.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns such abhorrent and brutal acts of terrorism, and emphasizes its unwavering commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice.”
“Given the repeated violent and terrorist acts of the Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group, which is sponsored by certain foreign countries, against innocent Iranian civilians and officials, the Islamic Republic of Iran asks the Security Council to strongly condemn these heinous terrorist acts and take appropriate measures in line with its commitments concerning fight against all forms and manifestations of terror, as shown by the Security Council in the press release dated December 16, 2023 (SC/15534),” Iravani added.
He noted that Iran, which has greatly suffered from the disastrous consequences of terrorism, is steadfast in its unwavering commitment to lead the fight against this scourge.
“We are determined to protect the proud and noble people of Iran, and safeguard the security of neighboring countries against the dangers of these terrorist groups,” Iran’s UN envoy pointed out.
Iravani finally urged the rotating president of the UN Security Council to circulate the correspondence among member states under Agenda item 109: “Measures to eliminate international terrorism.”
Large crowd in Isfahan pay homage to top Iranian commander killed in Syria
The massive crowd showed up in the hometown of General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force, who was assassinated on Monday along with six of his comrades in Israeli strikes on Iran’s consular building.
During the ceremony, Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said the responsibility for the recent Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus and other crimes being perpetrated by the Israeli regime, mainly rests with the US.
General Baqeri reiterated the US should be held accountable for the Israeli regime’s carnage in Gaza and other crimes the regime is committing in the region out of desperation.
Also referring to the operation Al-Aqsa Storm carried out by Palestinian resistance groups inside Israel in last October, the top Iranian commander said the Israeli regime that sought to rule from the Nile to the Euphrates, has been bogged down in the tiny Gaza Strip quagmire over the past six months.
The deadly attack on Iran’s mission in Damascus drew global condemnations, with many warning that the attack could spread the scope of the conflict in the region, amid the months-long Israeli genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Iranian officials, including the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has warned that Israel will receive a ‘tough response’ in retaliation for the crime.
