Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Following some media reports about increasing presence of Russia's military forces in Syria, an Iranian official has said that Tehran and Moscow are coordinated in the Arab country.
Russia moves in coordination with Iran in some regional issues including Syria, said General Yahya Rahim Safavi, military advisor to the Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Islamic Republic, Russia and Lebanese Hezbollah group are supporting the Syrian government and providing "the axis of resistance" with military consultations, Rahim Safavi said, Iran 's semi-official Fars news agency reported Sept. 18.
Iranian officials refer to the Palestinian groups such as Hamas as well as Lebanese Hezbollah group and Syrian government as axis of resistance against Israel. He also accused the US, Israel, and certain Arab countries of sending "thousands of terrorists" to Syria, pushing the country into the crisis.
Rahim Safavi also said on Sept. 17 that Syria, Lebanon and Iraq are the Islamic Republic's "strategic defense depth", adding it is logical to wipe out the IS (Islamic State) group there.
"Our material and spiritual support as well as military consultations given to Iraqis and Syrians are based on wisdom and logic," he added.
Tehran and Moscow share the same stance towards Syria, supporting the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian opposition claims that Iranian military forces are fighting against them, while Iran dismisses the claims, saying that Iran only has advisors in Syria, to transfer its military experience to the Syrian army.
During the conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, more than 150,000 people have been killed in the country and over 4.2 million have become refugees in Syrian territory and two million have fled to neighboring countries.
Edited by CN
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