Commenting on the Zionist regime’s terrorist attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria yesterday, Mehr News agency reached out to Asst. Prof. at Istanbul Aydın University Hazar Vural Jane.
Here are her answers to the questions.
How do you assess this act according to International law?
According to the 1961 Vienna Convention, diplomatic missions enjoy immunity. In terms of international law, this is globally recognised, as repeatedly emphasised in the document. Any behaviour contrary to this is a disregard for the law. On 1 April 2024, Israel’s striking the Iranian embassy in Damascus, the capital of Syria, in a third country is an unlawful act. Israel, which is being tried at the International Court of Justice for its practices in the ongoing war in Gaza, killed 7 people in the embassy, including the Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Zahedi and Mohammad-Hadi Hajrahimi, in an attack last night.
Although international law is far from deterrence with its problematic applications in practice, it should work within the same accountability framework for the 193 states registered to the UN, but the situation may be different for some states. This is one of the main problems in practice. Israel often stands out as a negative example in this regard and continues its arbitrary and unlawful aggressive actions. Within the framework of “equal sovereignty”, whichever state commits such aggression should be condemned globally and swiftly. So far, Israel has been condemned by various states, including Russia, Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
What are the Reasons behind this criminal act? To what extent, this act is for manipulating public opinion from the regime’s failure in Gaza despite the 5-month genocide against the Palestinian people?
Israel has been waging a war in Gaza for almost 6 months and has been trying to show that it is struggling for its existence by projecting hard power to its close neighbourhood from time to time. Psychologically, it is quite difficult to manage a war for such a long time. On the other hand, it is observed that protests against the prime minister continue within Israel.
While the attacks organised from time to time against HAMAS’s allies in the region can be read as Israel’s efforts to show its power, this direct attack against Iran can be said to point to a dangerous situation in the region. The escalation of tensions between the USA and Iran, which have been confronting each other through proxies in the past months, is now taking place between Israel and Iran, which carries the same risks considering the multiple relations in the region. When we look at the wider region, the confrontation that has been going on as of 7 October is being experienced through many different actors in the region. The ongoing confrontation of Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” with Israel and the US is not new. It is a continuation of the ongoing power struggle from Iraq to Lebanon, from Yemen and Red Sea. However, Israel is responsible for yesterday’s attack and its consequences in terms of target and location, as stated by the highest Iranian authorities. Israel, on the other hand, holds Iran responsible for the tension in the region to this point. Israeli military spokesman states that Iran is the main actor above all proxy forces. Aside from the expectation of Iran’s response to the attack, the focus should not be shifted away from Gaza. Israel’s massacres and acts of genocide in Gaza continue every day, and in this context, the international community should not shift its focus away from Gaza.
Dr. Hazar VURAL JANE
