TEHRAN – Iran has strongly condemned Israel’s attacks against civilian regions in southern Lebanon and Gaza.

In a statement on Friday, the spokesman for Iranian foreign ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said the Israeli attacks are in continuation of Israel’s sacrilege of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its attack against Palestinian worshipers. 

The Israeli attacks, Kanaani said, are a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and are also a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the human rights of the oppressed Palestinian nation. 

Kanaani urged an effective and deterring reaction by the international community to Israel’s aggressions. 

Referring to the telephone calls of the Iranian president and the foreign minister with some counterparts in Islamic countries and the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and their emphasis on the need for an emergency meeting of the OIC, Kanaani once again emphasized the need for Islamic governments to adopt a strong and coherent position in support of the oppressed Palestinian nation, prevent the repetition of the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and stop the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime.

Israel launched attacks against southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip on Friday night amid an escalation of tensions that followed Israeli attacks against worshipers in al-Quds. 

Following the flareup, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday afternoon. In the call, Raisi explained the current situation of Palestine and introduced it as the beating heart of the Islamic world.

"Supporting the rights of the Palestinian people and fighting the Zionist regime is an unchangeable principle in the structure of the Islamic Ummah and the unity of the Islamic world is a constant necessity to confront the aggressions and crimes of the Zionist regime," Raisi pointed out.

Raisi also called for holding an emergency meeting of the OIC and making a joint decision to defend the oppressed Palestinian nation and confront the crimes of the Zionist Regime.

"We believe that the world of Islam, as an influential bloc in global equations, needs more convergence, and accordingly, we welcome any initiative to deepen relations between Islamic countries,” Raisi stated.