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Iran has sought to put a brave face on the sudden ouster of its Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assad, insisting it will continue to confront the United States and Israel in the region even after thousands of its citizens were evacuated during rebel control of Damascus.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, on Wednesday, in his first statements since the defeat of the regime in Syria Iran's “resistance front” made up of its allies throughout the Middle East “will grow stronger under pressure” and “expand its reach into the entire region.”
But Tehran also admitted to evacuating its citizens from Syria in the face of advancing Islamist rebels. “More than 4,000 Iranian citizens were repatriated from Syria on 10 Mahan Air flights in the past three days,” government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said, adding that the Foreign Ministry would ensure the evacuation of every Iranian citizen.
It is unclear whether the evacuees included Iranian pilgrims, diplomats or military personnel stationed in Syria. Ismail Baghaei of the Foreign Ministry said earlier that the Iranian diplomats were all safely withdrawn from the Iranian embassy in Damascus before the attack on the building.
Khamenei noted that Iranian forces were on an “advisory” mission in Syria and could not fight in place of the Syrian army, whose weakness he blamed for the regime’s rapid fall. The troubles that Syria is experiencing today are the result of the weakness of its army and the loss of its resilience and steadfastness.”
Analysts see Assad's fall as a severe blow to the regional influence that Iran has strengthened over the past four decades through proxies and supporters keen to confront both Israel and the United States. Syria used it Iran As a supply route to aid and finance Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Iranian military forces and installations stationed in Syria for many years have often been the target of Israeli air strikes over the past year. Israel also assassinated Hezbollah leaders and targeted the group's weapons stores and infrastructure ahead of the ceasefire agreement agreed upon last month.
Khamenei cited the United States and Israel's strikes on targets inside Syria and Israel's seizure of parts of Syrian territory in recent days as evidence of their involvement in overthrowing Assad, saying that Syrian “terrorist or armed groups” are only working on their behalf.
“There is no doubt that the main command center lies in the United States and the Zionist regime,” Khamenei said, pointing to “indisputable evidence” showing the involvement of the United States and Israel in overthrowing Assad.
Russia, another international backer of the Assad regime, was also shocked by its defeat and granted asylum to the ousted leader. For years Moscow was Assad's main military backer, attacking the rebels with its warplanes until days before their final victory. The Kremlin has now withdrawn its forces from parts of Syria, but has so far maintained its main air and naval bases on the Mediterranean.
Iran on Wednesday denied reports that $42 million worth of money had been stolen from its embassy in Damascus after video footage emerged of attackers ransacking the building on Sunday. She added that all emergency plans were in place before the evacuation.
Khamenei warned against suggestions that Iran itself would be weakened by the events in Syria and Lebanon. He said, “Iran is strong and will become stronger,” warning that “using comments or analyzes to frustrate the people is a crime.”
Tehran is cautiously considering how to deal with Syria's new rulers, and two former Iranian lawmakers raised concerns about Syria's debts to Iran, which they said amounted to billions of dollars.
However, Khamenei seems to hope that the situation will eventually turn in Tehran's favor.
Some celebrate in Damascus and seize people's homes, or the Zionist regime bombs targets in Syria. . . He said this would not last long. “The Syrian youth will rise up and change the situation.” However, he admitted that this may take a long time.
