Iranian defense minister in Damascus to meet with Assad

The Tasnim News Agency reports that Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami arrived in Syria on Sunday for meetings with President Bashar al-Assad and senior defense and military officials.

During the meeting, Hatami told Assad that "relations between the two countries are strong and stable ... Iranian forces have supported Assad in the country's civil war. Not only the people of the region, but the people of the world are in debt with the battles that took place against the terrorists in Syria. "

Hatami also told Assad that he was confident that all of Syria would soon be "liberated" and that displaced Syrians would be able to return home.

Hatami also met with Syrian Defense Minister Ali Abdullah Ayoub with whom he discussed the latest situation on the "takfiri groups". Iranian officials usually identify the "takfiris" as Sunni Muslim extremist groups. During the press conference, Hatami said that "The Islamic Republic has high capabilities in the defense sector and can help Syria expand its military equipment".

US National Security Advisor John Bolton said last week that Iran should withdraw its forces from Syria. Senior Iranian officials said their military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad government and that they currently have no immediate withdrawal plans.

Hatami said Iran can offer its help in rebuilding Syria, hoping to have an active role in rebuilding the country.

Since 2012, more than Iranian 1.000 have been killed in Syria. The revolutionary guards initially ignored their role in the conflict. But in recent years, with the growing number of victims, they have begun to be more explicit about their commitment, framing it as an existential struggle against the Muslim Sunni fighters of the Islamic State who see the Shiites, most of the Iranian population, as apostates

 

 

Iranian defense minister in Damascus to meet with Assad

| MONDO |