Iran Launches Virtual Embassy of Palestine - Foreign Minister

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Tehran has launched an experimental virtual Palestinian Embassy within the Iranian Foreign Ministry's web system to support Palestine amid Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, Iranian Foreign Minister Nasser Kanaani said on Monday.

"This virtual embassy was created in the system of the foreign ministry at an experimental level so that we could study the technical problems and other aspects associated with it better and more," Kanaani was quoted by Iranian state-run IRNA news agency as saying at a daily conference.

Iran's diplomatic staff implemented a number of legal, consular and administrative measures and requested the opinion of Palestinian resistance groups before launching the embassy, the spokesman added.

Last Monday, the IDF launched what it called a counterterrorist operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt. The IDF initially invaded the city's east and took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing. On Friday, Israeli media reported that Israel's military cabinet had approved expanding the ground operation. Israeli authorities say the operation is aimed at eliminating the remaining battalions of Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 35,000 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.