Top Iran general vows to strengthen Syrian army against Israel

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Maj-Gen Mohammad Baqeri has vowed that Tehran will help further strengthen the Syrian army in the face of an Israeli raid on the Arab country.

Baqeri made the remarks in Tehran on May 10, in a meeting with the visiting Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces, Gen Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim, Iran Front Page reports.

The Iranian general described the Syrian army as “the important anti-Zionist resistance axis” in the region, saying that ”we will reinforce this axis in cooperation with each other, and will stand up together to the Zionist regime’s bullying”.

He added his meeting with his Syrian counterpart had featured a discussion over the provision of training for the Syrian forces across various levels.

The military officials also addressed the transference of the Islamic Republic’s experience in the military field to the Syrian armed forces as well as the “rebuilding of the Syrian army in the post-war period".

Baqeri hailed that the Syrian military’s counter-terrorism efforts had helped establish proper security across the Arab country. “I hope for Syria’s reconstruction period to start soon,” he added.

Syria found itself in the grip of rampant foreign-backed militancy and terrorism in 2011.

The terrorist groups soon overran huge swaths of Syrian territory amid crucial support provided for them by the Israeli regime. The regime would routinely target Syria’s defences and also provide safe haven for the terrorists in the Arab country’s Golan Heights, which has been under Tel Aviv’s occupation since 1967.

The overall situation prompted Damascus to seek out the assistance of its allies, including Iran, in its bid to reverse the terror outfits’ gains.

The Islamic Republic then began providing military advisory assistance for Syria’s anti-terror efforts.

The joint efforts helped Syria push successfully back against the terror groups to the point that the country has now managed to restore its sovereignty over the biggest part of its soil.

For his part, the Syrian official said Tehran and Damascus could “cooperate with each other towards expediting cessation of the domination of imperialist countries”.

“We have enjoyed cooperation with the Islamic Republic since a long time ago and will continue to do so in line with the countries’ interests,” Ibrahim stated.

The meeting between the top Generals came a week after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Syria.

During his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, Raisi stressed that the Islamic Republic would stand by its Syrian brothers in the post-war era of reconstruction and development as was the case during the fight against terrorism.

The Syrian president also hailed Iran’s support for Syria throughout the Arab country’s conflict and said the Syrian nation won’t forget Iran’s assistance to them in their hard times.

President Assad called for Iran to play a bigger role in establishing sustainable peace in the country and reconstructing war-torn parts of Syria.