zionist israel caused Syria war to harm entire ME: Iran MP

An Iranian lawmaker says the Israeli regime ignited the crisis in Syria in order to pave the way for launching other operations in the region.

Tel Aviv which sustained defeats against the resistance front in the 22- and 33-day wars has triggered the conflict in Syria in order to prepare the ground for a campaign against Lebanon and other neighboring countries, said Mohammad Hassan Asafari, who sits on the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Majlis.

He said that Iran welcomes and supports any measure aimed at preventing the aggravation of the crisis in the region, particularly in Syria.

Pointing to the Geneva II conference on the Syria conflict, the legislator underlined that some of the participating countries were among those contributing to the crisis in the Arab country.

“How is it that the countries which [created] the Syria crisis by sending forces and equipment to Syria want to resolve the Syria turmoil?” he asked, adding that such countries do not favor negotiations but seek to launch a war against the crisis-hit country to achieve their objectives.

Asafari stressed that the crisis in Syria could only be resolved by the people of the country and through elections.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly crisis since March 2011. The foreign-sponsored conflict has so far killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others in the Arab country.

The Geneva II talks aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis kicked off in Switzerland on January 22.

The conference remains deadlocked as the representatives of the government and opposition are divided over the future of the country.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that the Syrian opposition and government representatives are to resume talks in February.