CHIEF of the General Staff of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub on Tuesday held a session of talks with Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier General Hussein Dehqan.
Talks centred on assessing the joint efforts for combating Takfiri terrorism and the necessary steps for facing the rapid developments and the challenges facing Syria and the region, and the prospects of cooperation for overcoming them. Gen. Ayoub hailed Iran’s ‘firm stances in support of the Syrian people and army and their role in combating terrorism and preventing its spread in the region and the world.’
‘We believe that the US is collaborating with the Zionist regime and the terrorist groups of Daesh and al-Nusra to effect geopolitical change in the region. . . and disintegrate Muslim countries,’ he added. He reiterated that the Syrian Armed Forces ‘will continue their war against terrorists till liberating all the Syrian territories,’ affirming that ‘the only way to foil this conspiracy is enhancing the alliance between the forces of the resistance front and Russia.’
For his part, Minister Dehqan stressed his country’s stance in support of the Syrian people in the face of terrorism, hailing the resilience of the Syrian people and the victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army in its war against terrorism. He indicated that the Syrian and Iranian peoples are in ‘the same trench in the face of terrorism’.
‘The evil phenomenon of terrorism, which is today active in Iraq and Syria, is an international threat, which will endanger the world if not contained and eliminated,’ Dehqan said. He condemned the US aggression against al-Shairat airbase, affirming that ‘terrorism is a threat to the region and the world.’
General Ayoub discussed on Monday with the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri the means of enhancing military cooperation between Iran and Syria against Takfiri terrorism. During a meeting held in Tehran, the two sides stressed their keenness to strengthen relations between the Syrian and Iranian armies, condemning the US and Zionist attacks on Syria.
General Ayoub briefed Bagheri on the latest developments in Syria and the joint coordination between the two countries, Russia and the backup forces in the fight against terrorism, affirming the Syrian army’s determination to continue the fight against terrorism until restoring security and stability to Syria.
He thanked Iran’s leadership, government and people for their continuous support to Syria in the face of Takfiri terrorism, adding that the wise policy of Iran in supporting peace and stability in the region acquires the respect of the independent countries.
General Bagheri, for his part, condemned the air and missile attacks by the US and the Zionist entity on Syria, appreciating ‘the heroic resistance of the Syrian people against regional aggressions and interventions.’
President Bashar al-Assad received on Tuesday the newly-appointed Iranian Ambassador to Syria Jawad Turk Abadi and accepted his credentials. During the meeting, President al-Assad wished the new Ambassador success in his missions.
Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem and Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam attended the ceremony of accepting the credentials.
President Bashar al-Assad also received a congratulatory cable on occasion of Syria’s Independence Day from President of Iran Hassan Rouhani.
President Rouhani affirmed in the cable that Iran will continue supporting Syria’s independence and territorial integrity, voicing confidence that peace and stability will return to Syria and the process of rebuilding it and restoring its prosperity will begin soon, and that the crisis will be resolved via political methods and dialogue.
The Iranian President affirmed that just like the Syrian people achieved Syria’s independence in the past, they will defeat terrorists and their protectors, wishing Syria and its people happiness and progress.
In Syria on Tuesday, more than 30 civilians were killed and around 34 others were injured in a terrorist attack launched by ISIS terrorists on the area of Rajm al-Salibi to the southeast of al-Shaddadi city in the southern countryside of Hasaka province. In Hasaka, terrorist groups affiliated to ISIS attacked on Tuesday morning the Camp of Rajm al-Salibi to the east of al-Shaddadi city, an area where civilians reside, most of them children and women, after escaping from the cities of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, and Iraqi refugees coming from Mosul also reside there.
People injured in the attack said that more than 30 people, some of them women and children, were killed in the camp as a result of the attack. Some of injured confirmed the death of their family members, while others said that they lost contact with dozens of their relatives.
The terrorists also stole a number of cars in the area belonging to civilians.
Medical sources confirmed that a number of injured people were admitted to intensive care units due to their severe injuries, while the other injuries ranged between light and medium, and most of them resulted from gunshots in addition to fractures. This attack came as Syrian Army troops continued their rapid advances against ISIS in al-Shoumeriyeh mountain and managed to tighten the noose on the terrorists in Eastern Homs, restoring security to al-Sha’er oilfield and mountain on Tuesday.
The army’s operation in Eastern Homs started from two flanks of al-Shoumeriyeh mountain and Jubb al-Jarrah and managed to seize the villages of al-Khaliliyeh, al-Tadmuriyeh and Jobab Hamd and al-Shoumeriyeh mount. The army further managed to capture the main positions of ISIS that overlook the villages of Um Sahrij, al-Shandakhiyat.
An ISIS missile unit was using them to attack several villages, including abu al-Alaya, Jubb al-Jarrah and Um al-Seraj. Recent advances against ISIS have enabled Syrian army units to protect the newly-captured positions near al-Sha’er mount and al-Sha’er oilfield. Security has now been restored to the village of Jubb al-Jarrah and its nearby villages.
In the meantime, ISIS has no chance anymore to advance in Eastern Homs and launch fresh attacks on the army positions from the region between al-Sha’er mount and Jubb al-Jarrah. Reports said earlier on Tuesday that Syrian army troops, backed up by the country’s Air Force, repelled an ISIS attack to take back lost positions in al-Shoumeriyeh mountain in Eastern Homs, inflicting heavy casualties on them.
Army soldiers engaged in fierce clashes with ISIS in wheat silos and in the regions of Jabab Ham and Rajm al-Qasr and managed to repel terrorists’ attack after killing and wounding a number of terrorists. In the meantime, the army aircraft carried out several combat flights over ISIS positions, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.
