Tehran calls Israeli ground offensive 'strategic mistake'

Tehran Sunday called the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza Strip a "strategic mistake" and said Israel could never eliminate the Hamas group, ISNA news agency reported.

"The ground offensive by the Zionist regime (Israel) is a strategic mistake and the aim of eliminating Hamas is unachievable as Hamas is a nation and a nation can never be eliminated," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying in a telephone conversation with some of his European counterparts.

According to ISNA, Mottaki had contacted his counterparts in the Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.

"The Moslems in Gaza are facing one of the worst genocides and the world states should find a logical solution to this bloody and uneven war or at least try to enable transfer of aid materials to the people," Mottaki said.

Mottaki had earlier said that the Israelis should take the wish of an end to Palestinian resistance "into their grave".

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards predicted meanwhile that the Palestinian forces in Gaza would successfully confront the Israeli ground offensives.

"The people in Gaza have grown up with hardships and considering their fighting spirit, we will witness the defeat of Israel within the next few days," General Mohammad-Ali Jafari was quoted by ISNA as saying.

The commander further regretted the stance by some Arab leaders and said "we did not expect them to show the green light to violation by enemies of Islam in parts of Palestine".

Earlier this week, without referring to any country by name, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also charged that "those who have openly or secretly tied their interests to the Zionists (Israel) should know that they will eventually go all together to hell".

Ahmadinejad further said that the Israeli raids would just be "the prologue for the final collapse of the Zionists (Israel)."

Anti-Israel demonstrations and gatherings meanwhile continued throughout Iran and Iranian state television has devoted most of its news programmes to developments in Gaza.