Illegal presence of US forces in Syria 'destabilizing' country: Iranian minister
Iran's defense minister says the presence of American forces in Syria has a “destabilizing” impact on the Arab country, calling for the immediate withdrawal of all “occupying forces” from the country.
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani made the remarks in a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Lieutenant General Ali Mahmoud Abbas, in Tehran on Wednesday.
“We believe that the illegitimate and illegal presence of occupying troops on Syrian soil is destabilizing and destructive. Therefore, we stress the necessity for [respecting] Syria’s territorial integrity and the withdrawal of all occupying forces [from Syria], particularly the American occupiers,” he said.
The US military has stationed forces and equipment in northeastern Syria for years, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus, however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the country's rich mineral resources and to destabilize the country.
‘Israel only understands the language of force’
The Iranian minister also pointed to the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression against Syria, saying the regime only understands the language of force and it should not be allowed to make further aggression against Syria.
Israel frequently launches airstrikes against Syria. In its most recent attack, at least five people, including a soldier, were killed and 15 others wounded in the Israeli airstrikes early on Sunday, the Syrian army said in a statement.
The Israeli attack was launched from the occupied Golan Heights days after a 7.8-magnitude deadly earthquake struck Turkey and Syria.
In his remarks, the Iranian defense minister described Syria as a major member of the resistance front and said it’s necessary to invest efforts to boost the Arab country’s defense power.
The Syrian minister, for his part, hailed Iran’s role in supporting efforts by the resistance front to safeguard West Asia security and vowed that Damascus will work to boost cooperation with Tehran.
Iran has maintained an advisory mission in Syria at the official request of the Damascus government with the aim of helping the Arab country in the battle against terrorism.
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