DUBAI: Syria’s fate is the sole responsibility of the Syrian people and should be pursued without foreign imposition or intervention, Iran’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, after Tehran’s ally Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels.
Iran spent billions of dollars propping up Assad during the Syrian civil war that erupted in 2011 and deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria to keep its ally in power so as to maintain Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” to Israel and US influence in the Middle East.
Following Assad’s fall from power, Iran’s foreign ministry called for a national dialogue to form an inclusive government representing all segments of Syrian society.
“We will spare no effort to help establish security and stability in Syria, and to this end, we will continue consultations with all influential parties, especially in the region,” the foreign ministry added.
The foreign ministry said it expected ties between Tehran and Damascus to continue based on the two countries’ “far-sighted and wise approach.”
Tehran’s ties to Damascus had allowed Iran to spread its influence through a land corridor from its western border via Iraq all the way to Lebanon to bring supplies to Hezbollah.
Iran’s arch-rival in the region, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, said Assad’s ousting was a “historic day” and a direct result of blows dealt by Israel to Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which had been Assad’s staunchest allies.
On Sunday morning, assailants rummaged through furniture and documents at the Iranian embassy in Damascus, according to footage shared by Saudi Arabia’s al-Arabiya channel.
Reuters could not verify the videos.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said embassy staff had vacated the building prior to any assault and all diplomats were in good health.
“The Islamic Republic, in contact with the parties responsible for recent developments in Syria, has warned about this issue [the storming of the embassy] and called for the prevention of the recurrence of such attacks,” Baghaei said.
Iranian state TV reported that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the rebel advances across western Syria, had guaranteed that the sanctity of Shia shrines in Syria would be preserved.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Sunday that all Iranian servants of the Sayeda Zeinab shrine returned to Iran prior to the capture of Damascus by rebels.
Sayeda Zeinab - the granddaughter of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) - is venerated by Shias and her shrine is a site of mass pilgrimage for Shias from across the world. It has also been a magnet for Shia militiamen backed by Iran in Syria. HTS was formerly an al Qaeda affiliate known as the Nusra Front until its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, severed ties with the global jihadist movement in 2016.
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