NOURNEWS- The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
IRAN DAILY:
-- NIOC signs contracts on gas well development
The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed a contract worth $1.17 billion with four Iranian companies on drilling of 35 wells in South Pars Gas Field.
Announcing the above, NIOC Managing Director Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr added that the contract also includes boosting the productivity of gas wells as well as maintaining gas production, Shana reported.
The Pars Oil and Gas Company will supervise the implementation of the contract which will be complete in three years, he said.
“Handing over this enormous project to domestic contractors will help develop the gas industry, maintain production and economic growth of the country, while, on the other hand, it will create job opportunities as well as improve domestic capabilities.”
The NIOC intends to hand over similar projects to other qualified contractors to drill more in-field wells.
Iran’s total hydrocarbon reserves amount to the equivalent of 340 billion barrels of crude oil, making the country the largest holder of combined oil and gas reserves in the world.
Iran has a total of 400 oil and gas reserves with some 230 drilling rigs, or platforms, operating in the country’s offshore oil and gas fields.
-- Tehran, Yerevan can triple gas-for-electricity volume: Ambassador
Armenia and Iran can increase the volume of the gas-for-electricity project, said Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani.
“There’s a gas pipeline between the two countries and we extended the gas-for-electricity agreement two months ago,” Sobhani told CivilNet in an interview.
“That was a big and strategic step in the relations of the two countries. This agreement would allow us to triple and even quadruple the imports of electricity from Armenia in exchange for gas. We have very good projects with Armenia. We have the third power transmission line, which I hope will be completed in the coming months.”
He expressed hope that trade turnover between Armenia and Iran, which stood at $711 million last year, will reach approximately $1 billion this year.
“There’s also the Agarak-Kajaran 32km road project, which is also a strategically important project, and by far the biggest project signed between the Armenian government and Iranian companies.”
We’ve always encouraged other Iranian companies to come to Armenia and make use of the good working opportunities here, to produce here and export to other countries. Overall, I can say that our trade and economic ties have good dynamics of development, and we will decisively continue this path, said the Iranian ambassador.
-- Iran starts extraterritorial refinery project
The El Palito refinery project in Venezuela has progressed by about 85 percent, as 85-90 percent of its equipment has been provided by Iranian companies, announced director of coordination for capacity increase and overhauling of the Homs Refinery in Syria.
Talking to IRNA, Ali Shahverdi said it was the 44-year wish of the Iranian people and the Leader’s demand to work on extraterritorial refineries in construction and overhauling operations, to put them into operational service.
He mentioned Venezuela as the first country, and El Palito as the pilot refinery for Iran’s extraterritorial project, adding that an Iranian team was sent to the Latin American state to evaluate the project as well as listing the parts and equipment needed for the refinery.
“We prepared a list of spare parts with a two-year guarantee, which included about 2.5 million items. A total of 1,900 domestic companies were invited to cooperate on production, as finally 254 companies were qualified,” the official explained, noting that these companies manufactured the goods domestically and supplied some spare parts from Japan, Korea and the European Union.
Regarding the time to start overhauling, he said: “We are waiting for an announcement by the Venezuelan state-run oil company, PDVSA, to close the refinery to begin overhaul operations in order to increase the capacity.
The purpose of the project is to boost cooperation between Iran and Venezuela in the field of energy and finding ways to overcome the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies, the official noted, adding that the refinery will process Iran crude oil after overhauled.
“Building international trust in Iran’s oil industry, exporting techno-engineering services to modernize refineries, using domestically-manufactured equipment and goods in overseas refineries, refining Iran’s crude oil, and countering the oil sanctions by the United States are among the goals of the project of operating extraterritorial refineries.”
The National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) was the first Iranian company to start extraterritorial refineries, he said.
The next project is the Syrian Homs refinery, for which we are negotiating the details of contract as finalizing the spare parts list, Shahverdi concluded.
-- Syrian-Iranian Business Forum discusses boosting joint trade, investment
Syrian-Iranian Business Forum discussed ways to develop joint trade and investment work along with activating the business sector in the two countries, with the aim of upgrading economic relations.
During the forum organized by Joint Syrian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce in Damascus, Deputy Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection of Syria Rasha Karkouki affirmed the ministry’s readiness to provide all possible facilities to boost Syrian-Iranian relations, SANA reported.
For his part, Deputy Chairman of Syrian Chambers of Commerce Federation Mazen Hammad, highlighted the fruitful cooperation between the two countries over the recent period in the field of building power plants and benefiting from expertise in the field of renewable energies.
Chairman of Joint Syrian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce Fahd Darwish underlined the importance of exerting all possible efforts to activate relations and the signed agreements between the two sides through cooperating with the private sector.
In turn, Iranian Ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari stressed that in the upcoming stage, the Iranian Embassy will focus on enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries, as a free trade agreement has been signed and it will come into force next week, which will enable merchants to exchange goods without customs tariffs and without obstacles.
The ambassador noted that a joint insurance company was established and it is ready to be launched.
He noted that work is underway with banks in Iran to activate the mechanism of trade exchange in the local currency, and to prepare the infrastructure to increase the volume of Syrian-Iranian investments and overcome the sanctions imposed on both countries.
-- Loneliness blurs brain’s line between real friends and fictional characters
A recent neuroimaging study published in Cerebral Cortex has shed light on how loneliness can affect the way our brains process real-life friends and fictional characters from television shows.
The study indicates that lonely individuals may blur the boundary between real friends and beloved fictional characters, experiencing a more similar neural response when thinking about both, compared to their less lonely counterparts, according to PsyPost.
The backdrop to this research stems from the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited opportunities for socializing with friends and acquaintances. People around the world turned to television series, books, and other forms of fiction to fill the void left by physical isolation. In the United States alone, individuals reported spending an extra 30 minutes a day on personal interest activities like watching TV or reading during the pandemic.
A similar trend was observed in the United Kingdom, where adults increased their daily streaming service usage by 71 percent. With subscriptions to streaming services surpassing one billion during the pandemic, it’s clear that engagement with fictional narratives reached new heights. Simultaneously, there was a growing concern about loneliness, especially among young adults.
Prior research has shown that individuals tend to seek a sense of social connection from mediated experiences, such as engaging with fictional characters, when they are feeling socially rejected or lonely. This study aimed to explore the relationship between loneliness and the way the brain represents real friends and fictional characters.
“My students and I have long been interested in how the brain makes sense of other people,” said study author Dylan D. Wagner, an associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University.
“How we learn about them, how that knowledge is stored and retrieved, how it may be different for different people. Along the way, we became interested in how people feel and think about fictional characters and form so-called parasocial relationships with them.”
The study involved 19 right-handed participants (10 females, median age = 24) who were fans of the popular television series “Game of Thrones.” The researchers selected this show because it featured a large and diverse cast of characters, allowing for a variety of attachments. Data was collected during the seventh season of the show, which aired in 2017.
-- Nouri case exposed Swedish gov’t’s lack of transparency
On Thursday, November 8, Hamid Nouri’s final appellate court session was held in Stockholm, Sweden, and the court’s verdict will be announced in approximately 40 days.
To assess the trial process and its events, we need only to look at the statements of one of Nouri’s two attorneys, Thomas Bodström. He is an experienced Swedish lawyer who previously held the position of Minister of Justice in Sweden, making him familiar with the Swedish judicial system.
Hanna Larsson, another attorney for Nouri, also supports Bodström’s opinions, expressing serious criticisms of the judicial process in Hamid Nouri’s case. The defense lawyers, through a detailed examination of the charges and the handling process, have repeatedly stated, “You have compromised the honor of Sweden and the Swedish judicial system with this case.” They provided numerous pieces of evidence to the court, asserting that the case was formed under the influence of terrorist groups and that the Swedish judicial system was neither independent nor impartial in the proceedings.
According to Bodström, Nouri’s case is “unique” and “a part of our legal history”. He believes the case has no similarities to previous ones in terms of the court’s independence and thoroughness. Given that the prosecutor did not face any difficulties in conducting investigations and relied on the complainants’ statements and witnesses’ testimonies as evidence, the defense’s task of defending their client, conducting investigations, and presenting robust evidence became challenging. On the other hand, “prosecutors found it easy to say whatever they wanted, and it couldn’t be disproven.” The ruling of the first instance court clearly supports Bodström’s statements, indicating that the initial evidence was hastily accepted. Hence, the first instance court “had an easy job”.
What troubles Bodström is not the conviction of his client but the disregard for fundamental principles of due process and the violation of the rights of the accused by prosecutors and the police. He states that contrary to the basic principles of due process, “the burden of proof has been shifted from the shoulders of the prosecutors to the defense attorneys.” He points out the fundamental principle that in criminal cases, the presumption of innocence lies with the suspect or accused, and it is the prosecutor’s responsibility to prove the occurrence of the crime and attribute it to the accused beyond reasonable doubt. However, in Nouri’s case, this fundamental principle was overlooked in the initial stage. In the appellate stage, the prosecutor shifted their duty towards the defense attorneys, making it very difficult and worrisome for Bodström. Consequently, he stood against the prosecutors in various appeal hearings.
Bodström is also critical of the behavior of the first instance court in Nouri’s case, claiming that they took proof lightly. He questions how the first instance court accepted the evidence when the 200-page ruling provided no explanation of how Nouri committed the crime and the accusations were never proven. This raises a serious and unequivocal question in our minds: How did the first instance court accept this? When we see a court in Sweden behaving in this way, “our hair stands on end.”
It is regrettable that the prosecutor changed the description of the crime just a few days before their final statements, despite having written it for over two years, influencing the choice of imprisonment. In response to this action, defense lawyers naturally need more time. Bodström says, “If we request more time, they say we are obstructing the judicial process.” While defense attorneys need sufficient opportunity to defend their clients against the changed description of the crime, the prosecutor warns, “Do not say these things; it will tarnish Sweden’s image.” The mission of defense attorneys is clear: to defend the rights of the accused.
Additionally, defense attorneys say the prosecutor must be impartial, not just in words but in action. Another firm point raised by defense attorneys is, “A police officer with personal interests has entered the case and conducted preliminary investigations, and extraordinary misconduct has occurred with Nouri, especially in the detention center, in the Swedish judicial system.” These positions and criticisms of defense attorneys towards the prosecutor and the police have caused them to be the subjects of “anger and wrath” from the prosecutor and the police.
Bodström says, “The prosecutor and the police have lost the judicial compass.” Although the prosecutor accuses defense attorneys of “being unprofessional, damaging the Swedish judicial system, lying, and lacking integrity,” Bodström states, “A gentleman is never undisciplined and responds politely to impoliteness.”
“Global attention has been drawn to this case. We are now like an elephant in a dark room not knowing what we are doing. The flaws made by the prosecutors and the police should not be overlooked. We are supposed to be an example to the world. Is it helpful for a police officer with personal interests to come and worsen the situation in this case? Should defense attorneys remain silent? What does the world say? For how long do we want to sweep the shortcomings under the rug?”
Careful consideration of Bodström’s professional and principled statements leads to the conclusion that in Nouri’s case, not only has a political maneuver been executed, but also the conduct of the prosecutors and the police has been unethical, unprofessional, and inhumane. Bodström is right to be concerned about the credibility and dignity of his country’s judicial system, which presents itself as a model of justice and human rights. Nouri’s case is a good yardstick for evaluating the Swedish judicial system. Can the appellate court restore the honor of the Swedish judicial system that was lost as a result of the actions of the first instance court? Can the appellate court alleviate the former minister of justice’s concerns about the dignity of his country’s judicial system? It remains uncertain how long the Swedish government intends to “sweep the ugliness under the rug”.
KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL:
-- Iran’s Police Chief Meets Iraqi PM in Baghdad
Iran’s Police chief Ahmad Reza Radan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani reviewed mutual ties between the two countries in Baghdad on Monday, IRNA reported.
They discussed security coordination in the case of border control and the fight against the drug trade, as well as various aspects of cooperation on maintaining internal security and the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries’ police agencies.
-- Zionist Military Calls Gaza Hospitals ‘Legitimate Targets’
Israel’s military has deleted a social media post that suggested Palestinian ambulances and hospitals are “legitimate military targets.”
The post on X had claimed ambulances and hospitals were used by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas for its fighters and operations. “This is against international law and turns them into legitimate military targets,” the post read.
-- Thousands Rally in U.S. to Call for End to Aid to Israel
Thousands of Texans descended upon the state Capitol Sunday afternoon in support of Palestinians to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. and Texas aid to the occupying regime of Israel.
Both the Biden administration and Gov. Greg Abbott have affirmed their support for the Zionist regime, even as President Joe Biden faces growing pressure from members of his party over his support for Israel.
Some Democrats in the Texas Legislature have urged President Biden to call a ceasefire. State Reps. Ron Reynolds of Missouri City, John Bryant of Dallas, Terry Meza of Irving and Ana-Maria Ramos sent a letter to Texas Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa last week asking the leader to urge the Biden administration to secure additional humanitarian aid for Gaza and to work towards a ceasefire.
Protestors in Austin stood outside the Texas Capitol carrying signs accusing Biden of using tax dollars to fund a “genocide” and asking him to support a ceasefire. The protestors, many of whom had come from other Texas cities, then marched along San Jacinto Boulevard chanting “Ceasefire Now!” and “Free, Free Palestine Now!”
The crowd stretched across multiple blocks and spilled onto sidewalks. One group climbed onto a nearby parking garage and held banners over the roof. Another group carried a white banner that listed the names of every person killed in Gaza since Oct. 7. The protest was organized by a coalition of pro-Palestine groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
“Our tax dollars should stay here for the prosperity of our own children, not for the death and destruction of impoverished children halfway around the world,” said Cally Hibbs, an Austin resident who attended the protest and carried a sign asking people to call their representative and demand a ceasefire.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers stood along the perimeter of the march, which remained peaceful, to ensure attendees’ safety and to make sure the protest didn’t interfere with the Texas Book Festival, also taking place in downtown Austin.
“We need to clarify misconceptions about what is happening in the Middle East,” said Asif Shiraz, a protester from Austin. “We want people to realize that the U.S. policy is not fair towards Palestine.”
At one point, the march took particular aim at the governor, with some participants yelling: “Abbott, Abbott, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.”
In October, the governor’s office allocated more than $4 million to 31 Jewish organizations in Texas for physical security enhancements and other safety improvements. He also issued an executive order directing state agencies to not purchase goods produced in or exported from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory whose borders are controlled by Israel.
The Texas Comptroller’s Office also purchased $65 million in Israeli bonds in recent weeks to help provide financial liquidity to the occupying regime. Since 1994, Texas has invested in Israeli bonds yearly. The state holds about $140 million in Israel bonds, according to the comptroller’s office.
-- No Hospital Functioning in Gaza Despite Ongoing Genocide
Battles around hospitals forced thousands of Palestinians to flee from some of the last shelters in northern Gaza, stranding critically wounded patients, including newborns, and their caregivers with dwindling supplies and no electricity, health officials said Monday.
The Israeli bombardment in Gaza since October 7 has martyred 11,240 Palestinians, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, the government media office in Gaza said on Monday.
Around 29,000 people have been wounded, 70 percent of them women and children.
More than 3,000 people are still missing, including at least 1,500 children. The vast majority of these people are believed to be dead and buried under rubble.
The Zionist military has urged Palestinians to flee south on foot through what it calls safe corridors. But its purported drive to separate civilians from Hamas fighters has come at a heavy cost, with more than two-thirds of the territory’s population of 2.3 million having already fled their homes.
Thousands fled Gaza’s Shifa Hospital over the weekend as Israeli troops encircled it, but hundreds of patients and displaced people remained, according to officials. Shifa “is not functioning as a hospital anymore,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. A second Gaza City hospital faces evacuations after running out of fuel.
For Palestinians, Shifa evokes the suffering of civilians. For weeks, staff running low on supplies have performed surgery there on war-wounded patients, including children, without anesthesia. Up until days ago, tens of thousands of people driven from their homes by airstrikes lived in and around the complex, hoping it would be safe.
After power went out for Shifa’s incubators, the Health Ministry in Gaza released a photo it says shows about a dozen premature babies wrapped in blankets together on a bed to keep them at a proper temperature. Otherwise, “they immediately die,” said ministry spokesman Medhat Abbas, who added that four of the babies had been delivered by cesarean section after their mothers died.
The only remaining operational hospital in the north of Gaza is delivering up to 20 babies per day despite running out of fuel, ActionAid International said Monday.
Al-Awda hospital “has had no electricity or fuel for the last three days yet is continuing to operate against the odds, relying on batteries”, the charity said.
According to ActionAid 22 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals – including two
of its biggest medical facilities, Al-Shifa and Al-Quds - are no longer operational, due to the bombing or from having run out of fuel.
Riham Jafari, Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication for ActionAid Palestine, said: “Thousands of women in Gaza are risking their lives to give birth, undergoing caesareans and emergency operations without sterilization, anesthesia or painkillers.”
The Palestinians say the occupying regime of Israel is firing recklessly toward hospitals. Al-Quds hospital ran out of fuel and was forced to shut down Sunday. An Israeli tank was stationed nearby.
Preparations are being made to evacuate some 6,000 patients, medics and displaced people from Al-Quds, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, which operates the facility.
After the exodus of people from Shifa over the weekend, about 650 patients and 500 staff remain in the hospital, along with around 2,500 displaced Palestinians sheltering inside the complex, said Muhammad Zaqout, the director of hospitals in Gaza.
The Health Ministry said 32 patients, including three babies, have died since Shifa’s emergency generator ran out of fuel Saturday. It said 36 babies, as well as other patients, are at risk of dying because life-saving equipment can’t function.
Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK-based charity that has supported Shifa’s neonatal intensive care unit, said transferring critically ill infants is complex. “With ambulances unable to reach the hospital ... and no hospital with capacity to receive them, there is no indication of how this can be done safely,” CEO Melanie Ward said. She said the only option was to pause the fighting and allow in fuel.
Tens of thousands of people remain in the north.
Saib Abu Hashish said he has been trapped on the ground floor of his family home along with 27 others in Gaza City, and they haven’t left the house in three days and are running out of food and water. He said their neighbors attempted to escape the area Sunday, but Israeli forces fired on them.
“We want to leave but we can’t because of the bombing,” he said by phone. “If we survive the bombing, we will die from hunger.”
Those who make it south face a host of other difficulties. UN-run shelters are overflowing, and the lack of fuel has paralyzed water treatment systems, leaving taps dry and sending sewage into the streets. Israel has barred the import of fuel for generators.
-- Terrorists Behind Attack on IRGC Pay for Crimes
Iran executed three
members of an armed terrorist group who were found guilty of carrying out a bomb attack targeting the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
The trio was sentenced to death for the 2019 bombing in the country’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. The judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported on Monday that they were executed by hanging.
According to the judiciary, the men were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of bombing attacks targeting a police station and a patrol vehicle in Zahedan, the capital of the province. A terrorist martyred 27 IRGC members and wounded 13 others after blowing himself up.
They were also found guilty of being members of the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group, which was formed in 2012 and is blacklisted by Iran as a “terrorist” organization. The group claimed responsibility for the attack at the time.
Provincial Chief Justice Ali Mostafavinia added that the defendants were also convicted for “receiving military training, transferring and hiding bomb-making materials”.
Jaish al-Adl and its affiliate groups, based in neighboring Pakistan, have been behind a series of cross-border terrorist attacks against Iranians.
Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president at the time of the 2019 attack, condemned the bombing, saying: “Without a doubt, all perpetrators and those who ordered this vicious, flagrant act will be punished soon with the hard work of the powerful security forces of the country.”
On Monday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said a conscript was martyred and two others injured in a confrontation with a terrorist group near the border with Pakistan.
In September, terrorists carried out an attack in the province martyring two policemen. And in July, four policemen were martyred while on patrol.
Earlier that month, two policemen and four assailants were martyred in a grenade and gun battle in the province during an attack later claimed by Jaish al-Adl.
-- Israeli Media: Hezbollah Has Figured Out Zionist Regime’s Air Force Tactics
The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has adapted their tactics to outmaneuver those of the Zionist regime’s air force, hindering the occupation forces from carrying out ground operations past the Lebanese borders, according to Israeli media reports.
Beirut-based outlet Al-Mayadeen, citing Israel’s Channel 13, reported that the effectiveness of the occupation’s air force against Hezbollah’s anti-tank units has decreased in recent days, following successful operations launched from south Lebanon, which targeted several occupation army positions along the border.
The occupation is “in a defensive situation in the north, where we receive hits and injuries,” and Hezbollah’s tactics have become more effective in the face of the Zionist regime’s air strikes, Channel 13 reported. The Israeli broadcaster also revealed that the resistance movement has figured out the tactics employed by the occupation air force.
Another Israeli outlet, Channel 12, reported that the developments mark the most intense combat since fighting erupted in the northern front shortly after the events of 7 October, the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Nir Dvori, a military correspondent for Channel 12, described the incidents as a marker of shame for the occupation regime.
As part of his second speech since the latest war on Gaza broke out, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday that “In recent days, we have witnessed a series of threats from Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz. We will continue on this path. Every day, we conduct our assessments. Our front will remain a front of pressure.”
“Without a doubt, last week saw an improvement in operations, both qualitatively and in terms of the number of operations and the quality of the missiles we use, notably the Burkan missile carrying a payload between 300kg and 500kg. Imagine half a ton of explosives falling on the enemy’s head,” he said.
According to the Washington-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), Hezbollah changed its military tactics on 29 October with the introduction of surface-to-air missiles, noting that “The change is likely intended to counter Israeli drones that have been able to identify Hezbollah fighters approaching the Israeli border.”
To maintain pressure on the occupation forces, “Hezbollah has been carrying out frequent attacks — using rockets, mortars, and guided missiles — on Israeli targets in the area,” it added.
Meanwhile, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin has also warned the Zionist regime against escalating tensions with Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement amid the regime’s onslaught in the Gaza Strip, a report says.
Axios reported that Austin’s warning came amid fears that escalating tensions on the border separating Lebanon from Occupied Palestine could lead to a regional war that would draw the US further into the conflict.
According to the report, a U.S. source said the White House asked Austin to express concern to Zionist war minister Yoav Gallant about escalating provocations in Lebanon.
In the public readout of the Austin-Gallant call, the Pentagon said Austin “emphasized the need to contain the conflict to Gaza and avoid regional escalation” without specifically mentioning Lebanon.
TEHRAN TIMES:
-- Hamas: Gaza will only be ruled by its people
Hamas has said that the Gaza Strip belongs to the Palestinians and will “only be ruled by its people” while expressing disappointment at the Riyadh Summit as alarm bells ring over Gaza’s largest hospital. There has been speculation in the West about the future of the Gaza Strip and who will take control over the besieged territory once the war is over. The Israeli prime minister’s office has hinted that the regime’s occupation will expand to the Gaza Strip when the war on Gaza ends. Last week, Netanyahu told ABC News that the Israeli regime will “for an indefinite period” have security responsibility of the enclave. In essence, this is a Zionist prelude to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians for the umpteenth time since 1948. The United States has alluded to the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank to take the responsibility.
-- Gaza war: More than 11,1080 Palestinians have been martyred
More than 11,180 Palestinians have been martyred in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. Most of the victims are children and women. In Israel, the death toll from Hamas’s attacks stands at more than 1,200. On Saturday, October 7, 2023, the Palestinian resistance forces launched a surprise operation called Al-Aqsa Storm against Israeli positions. The Israeli regime, to retaliate and compensate for its defeat and stop the resistance operations, has been pounding the besieged enclave since that date. The Israeli army continues raids in the Shati refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City. Hospitals including al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip have been targets of the occupation army. About 650 patients, 500 healthcare workers, and an estimated 2,500 displaced people remain inside the hospital. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says a Palestinian man was killed during the latest Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. UN compounds around the world lowered the blue-and-white UN flag to half-mast to honor its 101 workers killed so far by Israeli attacks.
-- Lebanese Resistance targets Israeli sites, infantry
The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement announced Monday that its fighters targeted an Israeli infantry unit at the al-Dhayrah site with rockets, resulting in direct hits. Earlier, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon reported that a salvo of missiles was fired at western al-Jalil. Our correspondent confirmed that the Israeli Marj site in the eastern sector was targeted with direct fire from Lebanon, reporting seeing white smoke billowing from the site. Simultaneously, Israeli media reported that sirens sounded in the north, specifically in western al-Jalil. Israeli media mentioned that there were initial reports of anti-tank fire in the north and several casualties at the scene. They reported that the northern settlement of “Netu’a” came under fire, leaving two injured. Israeli media also reported that two rockets fell in an open area in western al-Jalil without any casualties reported. “It is a tense day on the northern front,” Israeli media said after reporting that 18 rockets were fired at the Arab al-Aramsha area, all of which allegedly fell in open areas. According to Israeli media, residents in the western and upper al-Jalil were instructed to retreat to fortified areas and bunkers.
-- U.S. messages to Iran resemble pleas, not threats: IRGC commander
Talking about the current situation in West Asia, a top Iranian commander has clarified that the U.S. is not in a position to threaten Iran, saying Washington has been pleading with Tehran to refrain from opening a new front against Israel. The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, declared on Monday that American officials had to deliver three hasty messages to Iranians in just one day. “Iran is not in a position to be threatened by anyone, we are at the peak of power and have prepared ourselves for all conditions,” said Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh. Regarding the current abilities of the IRGC Air Force, Hajizadeh explained that Iran has now become a global power in terms of its missiles, drone, air defense, and space capabilities. “These capabilities have been showcased during maneuvers and operations including the attack on Al-Assad air base and Hezbollah’s 33-day war against the Zionist regime. They have been on full display and I don’t think there is anyone that doubts our power,” he continued.
-- Iran says prioritize end to war as U.S. backs Israeli atrocities in Gaza
Iran has urged the international community to take action against the “unbridled” Israeli regime and stop it from carrying out “horrible crimes” against the downtrodden Palestinian people living in the blockaded Gaza Strip. Speaking at a weekly press briefing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the Zionist regime “brazenly” bombards and sieges hospitals while the rest of the world remains silent. “It is the responsibility of the world to take action against the unbridled regime which is committing horrible crimes … with impunity under the support provided by the U.S. government at the UN Security Council,” he added. “We hope that the world will come to its senses and not allow the continuation of the crimes, take heed of the cry of the oppressed people of Gaza, and take practical action.” In addition, Kanaani asked the Security Council to pressure the Israeli regime to stop the use of phosphorus bombs and other unconventional weapons in Gaza. After Hamas launched a surprise attack against the occupying regime on October 7, Israel launched a relentless brutal war on the Gaza Strip.
-- Tehran residents stage protest performance in support of Gaza
Iranians in the capital Tehran flocked to the Palestine square to watch a protest performance held to condemn the atrocious killing of children in the Gaza Strip. The Performance was accompanied by live music, and acted out in three languages including Farsi, Arabic, and English. About 4,000 shrouds were also laid out on the ground in a symbolic move to draw attention to the mass killing of children by Israel in the past month.
-- Iranian artists, cineastes condemn massacres in Gaza, call for immediate ceasefire
Tehran Peace Museum and House of Cinema condemn the noncombatant massacres occurring Gaza Strip, exhibiting their concern for the escalating violence, and impel an expeditious termination to the bloodshed through an immediate ceasefire. In a joint statement published on Sunday, more than 100 signatories, including chemical warfare veterans from Tehran Peace Museum, as well as artists, filmmakers, and intellectuals from the House of Cinema asked for the end of the violence in Gaza and an immediate ceasefire. The statement, which is addressed to Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, reads as follows:
NOURNEWS