Iran's President Raeisi calls for OIC emergency meeting after Israel raid on al-Aqsa Mosque

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi has called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the status quo in the occupied Palestinian territories, where Israeli forces violently stormed al-Aqsa Mosque overnight, fired stun grenades and attacked Palestinian worshipers.

During a telephone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Thursday, Raeisi demanded that the 57-member body convene an emergency meeting in order to arrive at a joint decision on how to defend the rights of innocent Palestinians and confront the Tel Aviv regime’s crimes and atrocities.

The Iranian president described Palestine as the beating heart of the Muslim world, stressing that “support for the rights of the Palestinian nation and fight against the Zionist regime constitute an underlying principle of the Muslim Ummah.”

Rocket barrages fired from Lebanon as Hezbollah warns Israel over Aqsa Mosque raids

At least 30 rockets have reportedly been launched from southern Lebanon into the Israeli-occupied territories in retaliation for raids by Israeli forces.

He added, “The unity of the Muslim world remains a necessity so as to confront the aggression and crimes by the Zionist regime.”

The Iranian president noted that the Muslim world, as an influential bloc within global equations, needs more integration.

For that reason, Raeisi said, Iran welcomes any initiative aimed at enhancement of relations among Muslim countries.

Widodo, for his part, welcomed his Iranian counterpart’s call for an emergency meeting of the OIC on Palestine, hoping that the event could further promote ties among Muslim states.

The two presidents also discussed relations between Tehran and Jakarta, and underlined the need for further development of the ties.

Shortly after the call, the General Secretariat of the OIC said it will hold an emergency, open-ended meeting of the Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives, on Saturday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the incursions and attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against al-Aqsa Mosque and worshipers.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces raided the holy site for the second time in a row and tried to evacuate Palestinian worshipers by firing stun grenades and rubber bullets. Worshipers threw objects at the Israeli troops in response.

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, at least six people were injured in the fresh flare-up.

The UN, Iran, Turkey and several other countries and bodies have expressed shock and concern about Israeli forces’ incursions into the mosque.

Israeli settlers break into al-Aqsa after regime forces attack Palestinian worshipers

Dozens of Israeli settlers have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, after the regime’s forces staged a second attack against Palestinian worshipers.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was “shocked and appalled” by images of Israeli security forces beating people at al-Aqsa Mosque, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

Stephane Dujarric said Guterres viewed images of the “violence and beating” within the holy site, and found it more distressing because it came “at a time of a calendar which is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims that should be a time for peace and nonviolence.”

“Places of worship should only be used for peaceful religious observances,” he added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned the Israeli desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque, saying that the Israelis are confused by the wave of convergence in the Islamic world.

“The desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli forces and their night raid on worshipers of the holy site created painful scenes that are the result of the behavior of human rights advocates who turn a blind eye to Zionism’s crimes,” Amir-Abdollahian tweeted on Thursday.

“The Zionists are confused by the wave of convergence in the Muslim world and the prospect of internal collapse,” he added.

World leaders condemn Israeli raid on al-Aqsa Mosque

World leaders have condemned Israeli forces’ violence against Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The Arab League called on the UN Security Council to intervene to halt Israeli “crimes” at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In a statement issued following an emergency meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, the Arab League condemned Israeli assaults.

“These crimes escalated dangerously in the past days of Ramadan, and led to hundreds of injuries and arrests of worshipers, incursions and deliberate desecration of the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque by extremist Israeli officials and settlers under the protection of the occupation forces,” it said.

The statement rejected “all forms of Israeli violations of Islamic and Christian holy places, especially those aimed at changing the historical and legal status quo at the al-Aqsa Mosque.”

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