Majlis delegation to visit Syria on Saturday: Iran MP

An Iranian lawmaker says a parliamentary delegation will travel to the Syrian capital, Damascus, in coming days to discuss the current developments in the country .

Member of Iran Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Mohammad Hassan Asafari said on Wednesday that the parliamentary delegation consisting of Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the committee, and two other members of the same body will leave for Syria on Saturday.

On the topic of a possible military intervention in Syria, the lawmaker said, “The West seeks to eliminate the [anti-Israel] resistance front by attacking Syria.”

He noted that any war ignited in Syria would also affect the countries interfering in the crisis-hit country’s internal affairs.

On August 21, the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed that 1,300 people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

A number of Western countries, including the US, France, and the UK, were quick to adopt war rhetoric against Syria despite the fact that Damascus categorically rejected the baseless claim.

Since Tuesday, speculations have become stronger about the possibility of a military attack on Syria. Media outlets have been reporting US plans for likely surgical attacks, which would be in the form of “cruise-missile strikes,” and “could rely on four US destroyers in the Mediterranean.” The plan, however, seems to be awaiting US President Barack Obama’s go-ahead.

Iran, Russia and China, among other countries, have warned against foreign military intervention in Syria, which has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.