Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomed to Tehran the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Ziad al-Nakhala.

“By strengthening rapprochement between Islamic countries, we will witness the failure of the enemies to influence the sacred cause, which is the liberation of Palestine and Al-Quds,” Amir-Abdollahian told the Palestinian resistance leader on 2 August.

He also highlighted his belief that “the Islamic resistance … will vigorously defend the inalienable rights of the peoples of the region.”

Al-Nakhala, meanwhile, praised the “strong, effective and constructive role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in regional issues.”

He went on to say that armed resistance against Israel is “the only option [for] the Palestinian people to achieve their rights and expel the occupiers from the land of Palestine.”

The PIJ leader’s visit to Iran came just one day after Israeli troops arrested a senior official of the resistance during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp.

Bassam al-Saadi, a multiple-time prisoner of Tel Aviv, was dragged out of his home in the northern West Bank by Israeli soldiers late on 1 August.

Since news of Al-Saadi’s arrest spread, crowds have been gathering in Jenin and the nearby city of Nablus in the West Bank, as many voice solidarity with the PIJ.

The PIJ’s armed wing has also announced “a state of alertness and readiness among its fighters and active combat units.”

In response to this, Israeli officials have closed down several main highways surrounding the Gaza Strip – the resistance’s stronghold – and deployed reservists to the area, placing their army on “high alert.”

“Our policy is clear: whoever wants to work and live alongside us will, we extend a hand. With the second hand, we will smite whoever seeks to harm Israeli civilians and cause terror,” Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned on 2 August.