Israel, militant groups seek to turn Syria into ‘terrorist hub’: Iran’s FM

The top Iranian diplomat made the remarks to the Iraqi television channel Alawla on Friday during his visit to Iraq with the aim of addressing the regional situation amid the resurgence of armed groups across Syria.

“The goal sought by the [ongoing] coordination between the terrorists and Israel is to turn Syria into a base for terrorism and threat against the entire region,” he said.

Araghchi, however, asserted that Iran had always provided support for the Syrian government and nation, adding, “We will continue this support on the basis of what Damascus asks from us.”

The remarks came as the armed groups, which had been repelled on the back of Syria and its allies’ years-long retaliatory operations, are attempting to stage a comeback in the Arab country’s north amid numerous reports of robust Western and Israeli support for the anti-Damascus elements, including those that belong to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham outfit.

The Syrian military and its allied Russian forces have been staging an extensive reprisal against the armed groups, reportedly managing to reverse some of their gains, while the Islamic Republic that has been rendering advisory support to the Syrian army for more than a decade, has expressed readiness to deploy troops to the Arab country at Damascus’ request.