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Iran condemns Israeli air strikes in Syria
Tehran, May 11 (IANS) Iran on Friday supported Syria’s “right to defend itself” after Israel launched strikes on what it said was Iranian military infrastructure inside Syria.
In the first comments by Iran since Thursday’s wave of strikes, the Foreign Ministry condemned the “blatant violation of Syria’s sovereignty”, Press TV reported.
“The Zionist regime’s repeated attacks on Syrian soil under self-proclaimed, baseless pretexts amount to a blatant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and goes against all international conventions,” the Ministry’s spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.
“Israel cannot stand peace and stability in the region and sees its own safety in making the region all the more unstable.”
Qasemi said the attacks were an attempt by international supporters of rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to shore them up after their “many failures” and to try to “tip the scales in their favour”.
The strikes were the heaviest carried out by Israel on Syria in decades, said a BBC report.
They came after 20 rockets were fired at Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel claimed that Iranian fighters had carried out that attack. Iran has neither directly confirmed or denied the allegation.
Iran has deployed hundreds of troops in Syria, apparently as military advisers to the Syrian military. Thousands of militiamen armed, trained and financed by Iran have also been battling rebel forces alongside Syrian soldiers, reports say.
On Thursday, in response to the Golan Heights attack, Israel said its fighter jets had struck almost all of Iran’s military infrastructure inside Syria — some 70 targets — in its biggest assault since Syria’s civil war started in 2011.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said that Iran had “crossed a red line” and Israel’s action “was a consequence” of that.
“We will not allow Iran to entrench itself in Syria. I delivered a clear message to the Assad regime, our action is directed against Iranian targets in Syria. However, if the Syrian military acts against us, we will act against it,” he said.
Visiting the Golan Heights on Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Assad to “throw the Iranians out”, saying “they are only hurting you”.
Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, called for a UN condemnation of Iran’s “acts of aggression” and for the Security Council to “demand that Iran remove its military presence from Syria”.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.