The Iranian leader visits Saudi Arabia for the first time in years to attend a summit on the war between Israel and Hamas

CNN
—

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi He is in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to attend a major summit on the war between Israel and Hamas, where Arab leaders have pressed for an end to the conflict.

This is the first trip by an Iranian leader to Saudi Arabia in 11 years after the two countries restored diplomatic relations in March.

He shook hands with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)Heir to the Saudi throne and de facto ruler of the country.

Speaking during the summit, Raisi said that all attendees gathered there on behalf of the Islamic world “to save the Palestinians.”

“We have gathered here today to discuss the pivot of the Islamic world, which is the Palestinian issue, where we witnessed the most heinous crimes in history… Today is a historic day in the heroic defense and support of Al-Aqsa Mosque.” he added.

Raisi said that the Gaza story is “a struggle between two axes,” and the world must determine which side it stands on, “the side of the nobles or the side that is destroying human generations.”

The Iranian president criticized the United States for supporting the Israeli attack, saying that Washington is “the main partner in these crimes.”

Mohammed bin Salman said in his opening speech that the Kingdom “categorically rejects” the war to which the Palestinians are exposed.

He said: “This summit is being held under exceptional and painful circumstances.”

“We categorically reject this brutal war against which our brothers and sisters in Palestine are being subjected… and we renew our demand for an immediate cessation of military operations.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that the United States “bears responsibility for the absence of a political solution” because it has the greatest influence on Israel.

Raisi’s presence at the summit is considered large, amid speculation about that Hizb allah – the Iranian-backed Islamic movement that has one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East – could become Wildcard player into war and spark a broader regional conflict.

Hezbollah’s alliance with Hamas has increased since the end of the Syrian war. Hamas leaders have met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah several times over the past year, and the deep ties between the movement and Iran are widely known.

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah’s political position has been unequivocally supportive of the Palestinian militants. It has sponsored marches in support of Palestinian groups and strongly condemned the widespread Israeli air strikes on Gaza.

A large number of Arab leaders are attending the emergency meeting titled the Extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit today, Saturday.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the summit in response to the “unprecedented circumstances in Gaza,” according to A statement Issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

An Arab League statement prior to the summit said that the meeting aims to discuss ways to stop “the Israeli aggression against Gaza.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also arrived to attend the summit, in another sign of Syria’s rehabilitation among Arab countries, after his participation in a regional meeting in May.