Iran warns of reinforcement of terrorists during Syria truce

A senior Iranian official says the current nationwide ceasefire in Syria should not provide an opportunity for terrorist groups’ rearmament.

“The ceasefire should not be used as an opportunity for terrorist groups to replenish their human, financial and weapon resources in order to continue [their] crimes and bloodshed,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said in a meeting with Major General Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria’s National Security Bureau, in Damascus on Sunday.

A truce, brokered by Russia and Turkey, is largely holding across Syria since late December. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, and Daesh terrorist groups are excluded from the ongoing truce.

Damascus and Russian officials, however, have reported numerous ceasefire violations on the part of Takfiri militants in recent days.

On December 31, the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution endorsing the truce agreement.

The resolution also aims to pave the way for new talks in the Kazakh capital city of Astana next month, ahead of the resumption of UN-brokered peace talks in the Swiss city of Geneva in February.

Shamkhani stressed the importance of fighting Takfiri terrorism relentlessly and differentiating them from the opposition that believes in political process.

He hailed the recent achievements made by the Syrian government and popular forces in the fight against Takfiri terrorism, particularly the liberation of the strategic city of Aleppo from foreign-backed militants.

The SNSC secretary added that the victory achieved by the brave Syrian people in the terrorist war against the country was a historic event.

Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation in Syria said in a statement on December 16 that the Syrian military had wrested full control of eastern Aleppo, scoring a major victory against terrorists in the strategic city.

Shamkhani, who acts as Iran’s senior political, security and defense coordinator with Russia and Syria, further added that Tehran, Damascus, Moscow and the resistance front had had a successful experience of cooperation in the  battle against terrorism which can serve as a model in the anti-terror campaign in other parts of the region.

He warned of the increasing security threats by terrorists after their heavy defeats and called for the adoption of pre-emptive measures in this regard.

The head of Syria’s National Security Bureau, for his part, hailed Iran’s support for the Syrian people in the fight against Takfiri criminals.

Mamlouk added that the Syrian government and nation are resolved to proceed with the battle against Takfiri terrorism until its full elimination.

Syria’s territorial integrity and independence are the red lines in any political process, he said.

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