Syrian President Assad will remain in power: Leader’s Aide

A senior advisor to the Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will remain in power.

Addressing a ceremony held to mark the 34th anniversary of the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in the Iranian city of Qom, Ali Akbar Velayati said Assad would remain as the head of the government considering the fact that the Syrian people are aware of the foreign intervention in the internal affairs of their country.

The Iranian official reiterated Tehran’s support for Syria and said the Arab country was the “most important ring [in the chain] of resistance” against the Zionist regime of Israel.

Iran will continue supporting the government and people of Syria, he added.

Many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the turmoil that began in Syria nearly two years ago. The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country.

Velayati, who is also a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, also stated that the Islamic Awakening movement in the region was inspired by Iran’s 1979 revolution.

“With Iran’s help, Lebanon and Palestine shattered Israel’s delusion of grandeur in the Middle East, and this awakening and awareness will definitely continue in the region,” he said.