DAMASCUS: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi renewed his call for ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon on Saturday as he held talks with his country’s Syrian ally.

“The most important issue today is the ceasefire, especially in Lebanon and in Gaza,” he told reporters. “There are initiatives in this regard, there have been consultations that we hope will be successful.”

Araghchi’s visit to Damascus, his first since he took office in August, comes almost a year after Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel, triggering war in Gaza.

The conflict has also drawn in Iran’s Lebanese ally, Hezbollah and on September 23 Israel sharply intensified its campaign against the group.

“The purpose of my trip to Damascus is to continue consultations regarding the developments in the region,” Araghchi said.

His meetings in the Syrian capital follow a visit to Beirut on Friday during which he voiced support for a truce in Lebanon acceptable to Hezbollah “simultaneously with a ceasefire in Gaza”.

Araghchi travelled to Damascus by air after Lebanon said an Israeli air strike on Friday severed the main international highway linking the two countries.

Israel said its strike was aimed at preventing the flow of weapons to Hezbollah from neighbouring Syria.

Iran has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout the civil war that erupted in 2011 following the suppression of anti-government protests.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2024