ISIL’s Defeats in Fallujah, Aleppo, Raqqa Changes Regional Power Balance

“The ISIL’s defeats in Fallujah, Aleppo and Raqqa will surely change the power balance in the region,” Syrian Military Strategist Hasan Hasan told FNA on Tuesday.

He reiterated that the Iraqi and Syrian armies will gain new victories in the coming days, and said, “The ISIL is the illegitimate offspring of the West’s intelligence services that has been created by the petrodollars of the Persian Gulf states.”

He said that after the liberation of Fallujah city and the advances of the Syrian army and its allies towards Raqqa in parallel, over 50 US diplomats called for downing of the Syrian airplanes by the US fighter jets and the US military commanders also called for the imposition of a no-fly zone inside Syria which showed the intensity of the US anger over the ISIL’s defeats and disintegration in Iraq and Syria.

In relevant remarks earlier today, a senior military strategist and expert underlined that the Iranian, Russian and Syrian defense ministers have made vital decisions for the war on terrorism in Syria in their recent meeting in Tehran.

“The three countries had coordinated for important arrangements in the ongoing war against the Takfiri terrorists,” Major General Sabet Mohammad told FNA.

He pointed to the recent visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to Damascus, and said, “The short interval between the Russian defense minister’s visit and the Tehran meeting attended by the three countries’ defense ministers shows high coordination among them in the fight against the Takfiri terrorists in Syria.”

He said that the Russian defense minister’s visit to Syria foiled an attempt by the mainstream media to promote differences between the resistance front and Russia.

“Shoigu’s visit to Russia also had a message for the US government at a time when voices are heard inside the US for launching military attack on Syria; Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that any military attack on Syria will be considered an act of aggression against that country and by sending his defense minister he endorsed it,” Major General Mohammad added.

Shoigu visited Syria on Saturday where he met with President Bashar Assad and inspected the Hmeimim air base.

The Russian military said Shoigu and the Syrian president discussed military cooperation and fight against terrorism.

Shoigu has met with the Syrian leader upon the request of President Putin, Defense Ministry’s spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The Russian military has been conducting an anti-terror operation in Syria at the request of Damascus since September 30, 2015. The Russian air force has been carrying out airstrikes against ISIL, al-Nusra Front and other groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations. On March 14, 2016, Putin ordered that the main part of Russia’s forces in Syria be withdrawn, saying that the operation had achieved its goals.