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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran to spare no effort to Syria in anti-terror fight |
| 2016-09-22 |
| The Islamic Republic will spare no effort to help Syria in the fight against terrorism, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari says. "Iran is determined to provide Syria all the possible facilities in its fateful fight against terrorism," Jaberi Ansari said in a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Monday. He added that "strategic and one-of-a-kind" relations between Iran and Syria go beyond the two nations’ interests and are based on common views and understanding of the threats facing all regional nations such as terrorism and extremism. Also on Monday, Jaberi Ansari met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, where the Iranian official called for the expansion of cooperation between the foreign miniseries of the two countries. During the meeting the two sides discussed the political status quo and developments on the ground in Syria and highlighted the need for the establishment of a committee comprising representatives from Iranian and Syrian foreign ministries. Muallem, for his part, urged regular and periodical meetings between Iran and Syria for the accomplishment of joint strategic objectives. Abandoning discretion, Iranians proclaim their role in Syrian war Abandoning a long-standing reticence, Iranians are increasingly candid about their involvement in Syria's war, and informal recruiters are now openly calling for volunteers to defend the Islamic Republic and fellow Shi'ites against Sunni militants. With public opinion swinging behind the cause, numbers of would-be fighters have soared far beyond what Tehran is prepared to deploy in Syria, according to former fighters who spoke to Reuters, and commanders quoted by Iranian media. Many Iranians initially opposed involvement in the war, harboring little sympathy for Assad. But now they are warming to the mission, believing that Islamic State is a threat to the existence of their country best fought outside Iran's borders. While Islamic State still holds large areas of Syria and Iraq, it has so far failed to stage attacks in neighboring Iran like it has in Turkey. Nevertheless, Iranian media have reported the breaking up of cells linked to the jihadist group at home, and the large numbers of people willing to join the battle in Syria suggest Tehran has the stamina to pursue its involvement there for years if it wishes. Fighters killed in Syria are praised as heroes on state television and given lavish funerals. Iranian wrestler Saeed Abdevali dedicated the bronze medal he won at the Rio Olympics to the families of "defenders of the shrine" who have been killed. Some volunteers, disappointed at the long waiting list, take a shortcut. They fly directly to Damascus and volunteer at the Sayeda Zeinab shrine, according to postings on Modafeon, a web site dedicated to news and pictures of the "defenders". Senior officials regularly discuss the role of the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian special forces in Syria in terms of confronting the existential threat that mostly Shi'ite Iran faces from Sunni militant groups such as Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS. Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said this appealed more to public opinion than support for Assad. "Fighting Shi'ite-hating bloodthirsty ISIS jihadists is easier to sell to Iranians than wasting billions on a ruthless dictator who gasses his population," he said. |
| Posted by:Pappy |