Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made his first public visit to his closest regional ally Iran since the start of Syria’s war in 2011.
He met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Monday and championed their alliance, state media reported.
Syrian and Iranian state television showed footage of Assad and Khamenei smiling and embracing, and Syrian TV said the two leaders agreed “to continue co-operation at all levels for the interests of the two friendly nations”.
Assad regained the upper hand in Syria’s war with the help of Russian air power, Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces, retaking all key population centres from rebels and militants backed variously by some Western powers and Gulf Arabs. The insurgency against his rule is now seen to have collapsed.
It was Assad’s first known foreign visit other than to Russia since the war began, and his first to Tehran since 2010.
Assad was quoted by Syrian state TV as saying he told Khamenei that regional countries should not heed the wishes of Western powers led by the United States to “sow chaos” against Syria and Iran.
Read the article in The Western Advocate (AAP).