Iran Pledges Strong Support for Damascus After Rebel Attacks

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, announced on Sunday that he would be traveling to Damascus to deliver a message of support for Syria’s government and military, following a rapid advance by rebel forces. Iran has been a strong ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the civil war erupted in 2011, although it claims to only have advisory personnel and trainers in Syria, rather than combat troops.

Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanese ally, has also fought in support of the Syrian government for several years. Araghchi stated that his mission to Damascus was to reaffirm Iran’s unwavering support for Syria’s government and military, according to the IRNA news agency.

On Saturday, Islamist-led rebels captured Aleppo’s airport and several surrounding towns after making significant advances in the city, Syria’s second-largest. The Syrian army acknowledged the loss of large parts of Aleppo and reported the deaths of numerous soldiers.

Araghchi characterized the rebel offensive as a plot orchestrated by the United States and Israel. He expressed confidence that the Syrian army would prevail over the insurgents, as it had in past battles.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that a general from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed in Syria during the fighting. Iran’s foreign ministry also confirmed that its consulate in Aleppo was attacked, although no personnel were harmed.

Araghchi is set to visit Ankara for talks with Turkish officials following his visit to Damascus.

The recent offensive has disrupted a fragile truce that had been in place in northwestern Syria’s Idlib region since 2020, brokered by Turkey and Russia. The truce had been mostly maintained, despite several violations. The rebel attack on Aleppo coincided with the implementation of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since 2015, with the help of Russian and Iranian forces, the Syrian government has regained control of much of the country, including Aleppo in 2016.