ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of Iran’s top security council Ali Larijani on Saturday said Muslim countries should take practical measures against Israel's "madness" instead of holding conferences, after Israel struck the Qatari capital Doha.
Larijani's message was directed at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the second largest inter-governmental group after the UN with 57 member states, ahead of their Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit being held on September 15 to discuss Israel's attack on Qatar.
"Warning to Islamic governments!" Larijani wrote on X. "Holding an Organization of Islamic Cooperation conference filled with speeches without practical results (as is the case with Security Council meetings) is in fact equivalent to issuing a new order for aggression in favor of the Zionist entity!"
Larijani called on Arab countries to "at least establish a joint operations room against this entity's madness."
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it carried out a “precise strike” against the leadership of the Palestinian Hamas group meeting in Doha, an attack that drew international condemnation.
Tel Aviv said the targeted leaders were “directly responsible” for the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which led to Israel’s brutal military offensive on the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas official in Gaza told AFP that the Israeli strike targeted Hamas negotiators meeting to discuss US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire. Hamas leaders have been headquartered in Doha for years and Qatar has played a key role in efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
In his post, Larijani said: "Since you have done nothing for the starving and oppressed Muslims in Palestine, at least make a modest decision to avoid your own annihilation!"
Since October 2023, Israel has attacked several other regional countries including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and most recently Qatar, on the grounds of targeting Hamas leadership and Iranian proxies. The strikes have raised tensions and stirred fears of a broader regional escalation.
In Gaza, Israel is continuing its brutal campaign, targeting high-rise buildings, destroying infrastructure, and forcibly displacing civilians.