Military brass of Iran, Syria discuss US missile attack

The military brass of Iran and Syria say the US missile strikes against a Syrian airfield will fail to bear any fruit, stressing that terrorists and their allies are on the verge of final collapse.

In a telephone conversation on Sunday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri and his Syrian counterpart, General Ali Abdullah Ayoub, said the US attack was aimed at boosting the morale of terrorists and their defeated allies.

Baqeri strongly condemned US airstrikes against Syria as “a blatant aggression against an independent and sovereign country” and a breach of international regulations.

“The terrible chemical incident in [the Syrian town of] Khan Shaykhun was a suspicious incident and a plot against the Syrian government and nation,” he said.

Like Syria and Russia, Iran also believes that it is necessary to conduct a field investigation into the tragedy in Idlib Province by an impartial group, he added.

At least 86 people were killed in a gas attack in Khan Shaykhun in Idlib Province. Anti-Damascus militants and Western countries rushed to blame Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the incident, without providing any evidence to support their accusations.

The Iranian military official further said the US missile attacks on Syria were an attempt by the White House and its allies to promote aggression and revive terrorists.

Baqeri emphasized that the Iranian nation and Armed Forces are confident that the Syrian government and people would ultimately emerge triumphant against the Takfiri terrorists backed by arrogant powers.

The Syrian military official, for his part, commended Iran’s support for his country’s government, nation and army in their fight against terrorists and their sponsors.

He added that the US airstrikes have strengthened the motivation of Syrian popular fighters and army forces to defeat terrorists.

Using the Idlib tragedy as a pretext, US President Donald Trump ordered the country’s warships in the eastern Mediterranean to carry out a missile attack on Syria. They launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against Shayrat Airfield in Syria’s Homs Province early on Friday.

Baqeri also held a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Valery Vasilevich Gerasimov, on Saturday. They said the pre-planned US missile strikes against the Syrian airfield were a blatant attack on an independent country with the purpose of hindering its recent military gains and boosting the morale of terrorists and their allies.

Baqeri and Gerasimov expressed their countries’ resolve to fight Takfiri terrorism and vowed to step up anti-terror operations in cooperation with the Syrian government until the complete defeat of terrorists and their allies.