Iranian aid planes arrive at Damascus airport

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Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported on Monday the arrival of the first Iranian aid plane at Damascus International Airport, carrying of 45 tons of medical and relief food aid.

The Syrian Civil Aviation Director, Bassem Mansour, had announced earlier on Monday that an aid plane from Iran will arrive in Damascus.

According to the Director of Civil Aviation, the first aid plane from Iran arrived at Damascus airport at around 5 am, while two Russian planes will arrive at Latakia airport around the same time.

Mansour also stated that two Russian aid planes will arrive at Latakia airport today, as well as a plane from the Emirates and another from India.

Following the strong earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey, whose tremors spread to northern Syria, a large number of countries around the world offered to send aid to Ankara and Damascus, albeit with many depriving Syria of much-needed relief as a result of the draconian US blockade on Damascus.

Earlier, in separate messages to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed his condolences for the victims of the earthquake that struck both countries and declared his country's readiness to provide immediate assistance to the earthquake victims.

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Simultaneously, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Baghdad reported that an aid plane had departed from Baghdad towards Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani announced the opening of a humanitarian airbridge with Syria and Turkey to deliver life-saving aid, including emergency medical supplies, first aid, shelter, and relief supplies, as well as medicine and fuel.

"We declare our readiness to provide aid and assistance in any field requested by the brotherly government of Syria," he added. 

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that Damascus expresses its appreciation to countries and organizations that have stood in solidarity with Syria and its people.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged UN member states, agencies, and specialized funds to assist Damascus in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

Syria left to its own fate

The devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria and the suffering of the two nations that are still struggling to search for survivors as the toll of deaths is increasing by the hour took the whole world by surprise.

In these defining moments and amid this humanitarian catastrophe, it was expected that all political rifts and rivalries would be brought aside for a short while at least, mainly because the destructive event has directly affected civilians.

The international community, along with its organizations and institutions, should have declared a moment of 'political silence' to help facilitate access to basic needs and supplies by all countries impacted by this event in order to help them respond to their citizens' dire need of help.

Following the earthquakes, several Western countries mobilized rapidly to send aid and rescue workers to Turkey but decided to exclude Syria and neglect it, by only offering condolences and merely expressing readiness to support Syrians, but with no concrete steps to follow.

In the early hours of Monday morning, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey, which has so far caused more than 4,300 deaths.

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