TEHRAN- According to Iran’s top human rights official, the West and the United States have to quit treating Israel’s terrorist attacks differently and applying different rules to them.

The comments were made on Thursday in Damascus at a meeting between Hammouda Sabbagh, the speaker of the Syrian People’s Assembly, and Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights.

In the Syrian capital, Gharibabadi is attending the inaugural meeting of the tripartite joint judicial committee of Syria, Iraq, and Iran, which is tasked with combating terrorism.

“Instead of condemning Israel’s crimes, the U.S. and the West continue their support for the Zionist regime,” Gharibabadi said.

He went on to say that Israel completely violated international law, UN Charter, and international norms in its illegal and despicable attack on Iran’s diplomatic facilities in Damascus.

The rights chief also stressed that Iran’s retaliatory action against Israel was within the bounds of the lawful right to defense and fully conformed with the provisions of the UN Charter.

In other parts of his remarks, Gharibabadi stated that, as terrorism’s victims, Iran, Syria, and Iraq must increase their cooperative efforts to combat the evil.

Iran and Syria have strategic and cordial connections, he continued, adding that despite their best efforts, adversaries and the haughty front have not been able to accomplish their vile goals against these two nations.

In reaction to Israel’s missile attack on the consular department of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) unleashed massive missile and drone attacks against the occupied regions late on April 13.

Operation Truthful Promise, the counteroffensive launched by Iran against Israel, caused damage to Israeli military installations throughout the occupied territories. The damage’s magnitude is not yet known. 

The Israeli attack on Iran’s diplomatic mission resulted in the deaths of IRGC Quds Force commander Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five of their accompanying officers.

In a television program on Monday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Ali Bagheri Kani, said that Iran's approach prioritizes stability and security in the region over aggressive tactics employed by the Zionist regime.

He highlighted the incident in Damascus on April 1st, pointing out the strategic error made by the Zionist regime after facing setbacks in Gaza, where they attempted to shift the confrontation scene, leading to this mistake.

Discussing diplomatic efforts before Iran’s retaliatory attack, Bagheri Kani mentioned engagements with various countries, including correspondence with foreign ministers and participation in international forums like the United Nations Security Council. 

“Despite some support for Iran against Zionist aggression, major powers hindered meaningful action in the Security Council,” he noted.

Bagheri Kani emphasized Iran's approach of pursuing authority and dignity through wisdom, utilizing international mechanisms to uphold rights and consolidate national security and defensive capabilities.

He noted the international support garnered after the operation, contrasting it with the Zionists' failure to secure backing in a recent Security Council meeting.