Iran hasn’t reduced its forces inside Syria: official

Hossein Amir Abdallahian, the Special Assistant to the President of the Iranian Parliament for International Affairs, revealed on Sunday, the fact that Iranian forces have not been withdrawn from Syria, describing Iranian-Syrian relations as strategic.

Abdullahian said, in an interview with Al-Alam TV, that the Iranian anti-terrorist advisory forces went to Syria at the invitation of the official Syrian government and they did not call for the reduction of its cooperation with Syria in the field of combating terrorism.

“Our advisors are still on the side of the Syrian Armed Forces, as well as alongside the assistance provided by the Russian Air Force, and they are taking steps to continue the struggle against terrorism in Syria. Certainly, terrorism still exists and has not been eradicated from Syria. There are consequences for destabilizing security and stability that may be reaching Iran and we have a file.”

He explained that “there is no justification for the Islamic Republic to reduce the number of its forces in Syria,” stressing that “the Syrian government continues to call and demand that we help it in the fight against terrorism. We will be at its side with full force to combat terrorism and the stability of security and peace in Syria.”

He said, “the Iranian advisory presence will continue in Syria as long as the Syrian government requests that from Tehran.”

Abdullahian also stressed that “the Americans wanted to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and topple the political system in Syria, but they failed, and today they send messages to President Assad and offer him agreement to get a chance in Syria.”

His comments on Sunday come just a week after reports surfaced about the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claiming that the Iranian military and its paramilitaries had begun withdrawing from Syria.