Assad Tells Iran: Support for Insurgents on the Rise

This resolve to fight terrorism will continue despite the recent escalation by some hostile countries who, while claiming to be fighting terrorism, have beefed up funds and armaments to the terrorist gangs, President al-Assad said. Obama encouraged de-escalation between Russian Federation and Turkey, the official said.

His last visit to Syria was in May, when he renewed his country’s support to Syria.

The so-called TOW missile is the most potent weapon in the arsenal of rebel groups and has been seen in action more frequently since Russian Federation intervened with air strikes on Syria on Sept 30.

They are also waging offensives against non-Islamic State insurgents in western regions of Syria, gaining ground in the northwestern province of Latakia and to the south of Aleppo, while losing territory in Hama province.

In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy. They are described as “advisers” or “volunteers” protecting Shiite shrines.

“The Iranian regime is showing its importance in Syria, using all its propaganda machinery to publicise the names and information of individuals who were martyred”, he said.

But the rise of the vehemently anti-Shiite and anti-Iranian Islamic State militant group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq, has made justifying the fight in Syria easier for Iranian leaders, said Emile Hokayem, a Middle East analyst at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

According to the United Nations, more than 250,000 people have been killed and one million wounded during the conflict.