Colombian president slams Organization of American States' pro-Israel position amid Iran's airstrike

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Colombia's President Gustavo Petro voiced Sunday disapproval towards the Organization of American States (OAS) for its support to Israel in the aftermath of Iran's attack on Israel.

"Genocide is and precedes all barbarism, so the OAS must express itself in the utmost objective of peace; everything else is nothing more than geopolitical propaganda that only leads to human destruction," said Gustavo Petro on X, quoting the OAS statement.

Petro stressed that the OAS' objective must be "global peace, not Iran or Israel," and that as "independent republics," they must bet on this "without masters."

The OAS statement "unequivocally" condemned Iran's attack and expressed "total solidarity" with the government and citizens of Israel.

"The Iranian regime, breaking the most basic norms of international law, continues to be a source of instability in the region and in the world in general,” the statement said on Saturday.

The statement added that Iran poses a "global threat" due to its history of attacks on Israel, including those in the Americas.

Iran's "fundamentalism and hatred" fuel war, according to the OAS.

"Peace requires that nations, peoples and individuals exercise their right to self-defense to combat terrorism, armed aggression and exercise the protection of their people, as an ethical and legal imperative," it concluded.

On April 1, Israel conducted an airstrike on Iran's consulate building in Damascus, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals, including two Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps generals.

Iran declared Israel's attack as an assault on its territory and vowed retaliation, while Israel promised a response to Iran's actions.

On Saturday, Iran launched extensive attacks on Israel, utilizing kamikaze drones, ballistic, and cruise missiles.

While Iran claimed hits on certain military targets, Israel asserted that most of the attacks were thwarted by air defense systems, although a missile did strike a military base in the southern region.