The Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, met with the Syrian regime president, Bashar al-Assad, on Monday, April 8, in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

During the meeting, al-Assad considered the Israeli bombing on Gaza a sign of Israeli failure to achieve military objectives.

Abdollahian also met with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, and the two held a joint press conference at the end of the discussions that took place at the headquarters of the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

Mekdad said during the press conference, “If what is happening now in Gaza is not genocide, then what is it?”

He attributed the Israeli escalation and the increased pace of airstrikes on Syrian territory to what he described as Syria’s constant standing by the Palestinian people, never hesitating to provide various types of support, and defending their cause, with an emphasis on standing firmly with the “resistance.”

Holding the US responsible.. “The response will be on the ground”

Abdollahian said that he conducted “extremely important” discussions with al-Assad, which touched on the targeting of the consulate, reiterating the United States’ responsibility for the targeting that destroyed the Iranian consulate and killed seven Iranian officers and advisors.

“From here, from Damascus, I say loudly that the United States is responsible for the terrorist crime against the Iranian consulate, and it must accept its responsibility. The Zionist entity will be punished for its crime,” added the Iranian minister, considering the lack of condemnation from the United States, Britain, and France for the targeting operation as confirmation that Washington has given the green light for its commission.

The three countries had prevented the passage of a resolution to condemn the raid that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus, at a United Nations Security Council meeting two days after the attack.

Abdollahian talked about high-level consultations between Tehran and Moscow to “stop Israel’s crimes within the sector.”

Regarding the Iranian response to Israel’s targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the minister stated that the nature of the response has been determined on the ground, and it will be disclosed on the ground as well.

In the same context, the Iranian Foreign Minister, with his Syrian counterpart in attendance, inaugurated a new building for the Iranian consulate in Damascus and inspected the site of the previous consulate, which was completely destroyed due to the Israeli bombing.

The opening of the consulate came one week after an Israeli bombardment destroyed the old consulate, resulting in the death and injury of everyone inside the building, bringing the death toll to 13, six of whom were Syrians.

Abdollahian’s visit is considered the first following the Israeli targeting, and the second since last February, when he arrived in Damascus on February 11, as part of a regional tour that included what is called the “Axis of Resistance.”

While Tehran threatens to respond and retaliate for the killing of its leaders and the destruction of its consulate, Washington denies its prior knowledge and responsibility for the operation, while Israel took precautions to deal with the response.