An Israeli soldier moves a 155mm artillery shell Wednesday near a self-propelled howitzer near the Israel-Lebanon border, where Israeli troops have been engaged in skirmishes with Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants.    Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images

Tehran, October 20 (RHC)-- In Iran, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri says regional countries must prevent the transfer of military equipment and weapons from American bases in the region to the Israeli occupied territories.

In a phone call with Qatari Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah on Thursday, Baqeri said the United States is complicit in the Israeli regime's crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

He said the Palestinian resistance groups were entitled to self-defense in the face of Israel’s aggression and said the recent battle of the Palestinian fighters was a response to Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people and its desecration of sanctities, particularly al-Aqsa Mosque.

He slammed the "unjustifiable" silence of Muslims vis-à-vis the Israeli regime's crimes, warning that the resistance groups are highly likely to respond should such savage acts persist.

During their phone conversation, Baqeri and Al Attiyah stressed the importance of improving bilateral cooperation to send humanitarian and urgent aid to the people in Gaza.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group conducted a surprise attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.  The death toll from Israel's brutal aggression on Gaza has topped 3,500.  A total of at least 13,000 others have also been injured.

In a phone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the top Iranian general said the Palestinian resistance groups' operation falls in line with their legitimate right to self-defense and countering Israel's occupation as well as 70 years of the regime's suppression and cruelty against the Palestinian people.

Baqeri expressed his grave concern over the continuation of widespread violations against civilians and said: "Such savage behaviors will not be tolerated and independent governments must show a serious reaction."

"The continuation of the Zionist regime's crimes and direct support and assistance provided to it by some countries have further complicated the situation and can lead to the involvement of other players," he said.

The Russian defense minister, for his part, said Moscow pursues a clear stance on establishing a ceasefire and preventing harm to civilians.  Shoigu added that Russia's initiative for the ongoing crisis ended in failure in the UN Security Council due to the opposition from some Western countries.

In their phone conversation, the senior Iranian and Russian military officials agreed to boost cooperation aimed at dispatching aid to the Palestinian people.