Syrian minorities support Assad

An Iranian lawmaker says minorities in Syria are supporting the country’s government and will never turn their backs on President Bashar al-Assad.

Member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Ahmad Shohani said the Syrian opposition has failed to gain the support of the country’s Christian minority.

“The situation on the ground in Syria is such that the opposition has become angry after successive defeats from the Damascus military, and is trying to find new leverage to pressure the popular government of Syria,” Shohani said on Sunday.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the violence.

Militant groups fighting against the Syrian government have in the past threatened to attack Christian towns if the residents do not expel government forces.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the head of Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic church, Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, prayed in an old Damascus church for an end to Syria conflict.

The Syrian government says certain Western states, especially the United States, and their regional allies are fueling the unrest.

A recent UN report has revealed that militants from 29 countries have so far infiltrated into Syria to fight against the Damascus government, most of whom are extremist Salafis.