Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Iran has been quick to show its diplomatic support for Syria. Iran’s foreign minister traveled to Damascus on Sunday to meet with Bashar al-Assad. Iranian President Masoud Pezizkian also spoke by phone with President Bashar al-Assad on Monday. Pezizkian expressed “confidence in Damascus’ ability to win.”
“Syrian forces regroup with Iranian, Russian help after stunning rebel advance,” the Washington Post reported in its latest report, choosing the headline: “Russia launched airstrikes in support of the Syrian army on Monday to halt a major rebel advance that surprised and overwhelmed President Bashar al-Assad’s forces last week.”
After temporarily withdrawing from some areas, Syrian government forces appeared to have regrouped and launched a counteroffensive on Monday, the newspaper reported. The Syrian military said its warplanes had also carried out airstrikes against rebel forces, the biggest challenge to Assad’s rule in more than a decade. In the background, Iranian officials have been actively diplomatically bolstering Assad.
The article adds: Whether Syrian government forces can stop the lightning offensive and reverse the rebel advance will depend on the level of support Russia and Iran provide to Assad. Both allies have played a key role in helping Assad maintain power as the country plunged into civil war.
But this round of fighting comes at a time when both Russia and Iran are embroiled in other conflicts, the newspaper claims. Russia has devoted significant resources to its war in Ukraine. And Iran has been embroiled in more than a year of escalating tensions with Israel.
The group leading the fight against the Syrian government is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terrorist group based in the northwestern province of Idlib. Its fighters are advancing towards the Syrian city of Hama, which lies between Aleppo and the capital, Damascus.
The terrorists launched their attacks in Syria last week after Lebanon and Israel agreed on a ceasefire in Lebanon.
This comes after the Iranian foreign minister visited Turkey after Damascus, which appears to be aimed at regional unity.
“Our Turkish friends are as concerned about developments in Syria as we are, and we are all aware that terrorism does not remain concentrated in one place. All of us in the region have concluded that any insecurity and the spread of terrorism in Syria is not limited to Syria,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
The presidents of Iran and Russia also spoke by phone on Monday about the situation in Syria, according to a Kremlin statement. “Unconditional support was expressed for the actions of the legitimate Syrian authorities to restore legal order and the territorial integrity of the country.”
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