Baku, Azerbaijan, July 24
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
A semi-official entity in Iran has opened a bank account to collect money for buying weapons for Palestinians.
Iran's Bazaaris' Basij organization has announced a bank account for collecting money from citizens to supply weapons for Palestinian fighters, Iran's Fars news agency reported on July 24.
Bazaari is the name given to the merchants and workers of bazaars, the traditional marketplaces of Iran. Basij is a conservative volunteer militia that is a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The organization has invited people to participate in its initiated move for supplying Palestinians, in particular the West Bank fighters with weapons, referring to remarks by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On July 23, Khamenei stated that the only solution for the region is the destruction of Israel, and that the armed confrontation must expand beyond Gaza.
"We believe that the West Bank should also be armed like Gaza and those who are interested in Palestine's destiny should act in this regard," Khamenei said while addressing a group of university students in Tehran.
Since July 7, Israel has attacked the Palestinian coastal territory with fierce air and naval bombardments with the stated aim of halting Palestinian rocket fire.
Israel's military operation has left at least 660 Palestinians dead, mostly civilians.
According to official Israeli figures, 31 Israelis - including 29 soldiers - have been killed since hostilities began.
Earlier, the UN's top human rights official, Navi Pillay, condemned Israel's military actions in Gaza. She also condemned Islamic militant group, Hamas for "indiscriminate attacks" on Israel.
Edited by CN