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Published: march 03, 2010; Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.

Read also: The Anti-American and Anti-Israel Bloc.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad Visits Syria and Meets with Terrorist Organization Heads.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid a state visit to Syria on February 25 and met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah. During the visit an agreement was signed by the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers, waiving the necessity for entrance visas between Iran and Syria (Syrian News Station, February 25, 2010).

Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah meet in Damascus (Al-Alam TV, February 25, 2010).

During the visit Ahmadinejad met with representatives of the Palestinian terrorist organizations, led by Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas’ political bureau in Damascus. He and Mashaal discussed coordination between Iran and the Palestinian organizations following events after the decision of the Israel government to include the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb in the project to preserve national heritage sites. Khaled Mashaal emphasized the importance of Ahmadinejad’s visit to Syria in uniting the efforts of the so-called “resistance [i.e., terrorist] elements in the region” to confront Israel (Al-Manar TV, February 25, 2010).

When in Syria, Ahmadinejad again called for the destruction of the State of Israel. At a joint press conference with Assad, he said that “a Middle East without Zionism is a divine promise. Time is on the side of the people of the region. The Zionist entity is on the brink of dissolution. If Israel wants to repeat the mistakes of the past, the death of the Zionist entity is certain. This time all the peoples of the region will enlist, stand up to the Zionist regime and eradicate it” (Mehr News Agency, Iran, February 25, 2010).

Syrian President Bashar Assad gave a speech during the press conference, whose main themes were the following:

Rapprochement between Syria and Iran: “This agreement will strengthen the relations in every facet and sector, without exception.” Assad related to the statement made by American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the effect that Syria needed to distance itself from Iran, asking “how can there be talk about stability in the Middle East and peace and other beautiful principles at the same time there is talk about two countries distancing themselves from one another? We ask that others not try to teach us about our region and history.”

Israel’s threats: “We spoke about Israel’s crimes, its terrorism and how to deal with it.” He related to what he called Israel’s “threats,” saying that “Israeli statements do not express Israeli aggression, and lack of Israeli statements does not express lack of Israeli aggression.” He added that “Israeli aggression” had to be prepared for at all times, because anything might motivate it.

The issue of a nuclear Iran: “Forbidding an independent country, a member of the United Nations [i.e., Iran], to use knowhow to acquire nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is regional neo-colonialism. That right has been taken away from Muslims, and what is done to Iran today will be done tomorrow to other countries” (Radio Damascus, February 25, 2010).

The Heads of the Palestinian Terrorist Organizations Meet with the Upper Echelons of Iran

On February 28 a body calling itself the National Islamic Solidarity Conference for the Future of Palestine met in Iran. The meeting was attended by Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas’s political bureau, Ramadan Shalah, secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Ahmed Jibril, head of the Popular Front/General Command. The three met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. During the meeting Ahmadinejad said that “an Israeli presence, on even one inch of land in the Middle East, causes threats, crisis and war” (Agence France-Presse, February 28, 2010).

Iranian President Ahmadinejad holds a press conference with Khaled Mashaal, head of the Hamas’ political bureau, at the National Islamic Solidarity Conference for the Future of Palestine (Hamas’ Palestine-info website, February 28, 2010).

During the conference Heydar Moslehi, Iranian minister of intelligence, called on Muslims to begin an electronic intifada against the “Zionist regime” using the Internet. He said that relying on Iran’s experience, it was possible to “expose the Zionists” by founding a social network and waging an electronic war against the “plots of the Israeli regime and America.” He also said his ministry was willing to help the Palestinian people conduct an electronic intifada (IRNA, February 28, 2010).

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