TEHRAN: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will journey to Damascus on Wednesday for a “crucial” two-day go to on the official invitation of the Syrian president, state media reported.
“Dr. Raisi’s go to to Damascus subsequent Wednesday will probably be a vital go to given the modifications and developments going down within the area,” IRNA state information company quoted Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, as saying on Sunday. I informed him.
The go to comes in opposition to a backdrop of rising rapprochement between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia and elevated Arab involvement in Damascus.
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Iran is a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad and has offered monetary and army assist to his regime throughout Syria’s 12-year battle.
“This go to is an excellent occasion that won’t solely be helpful for Tehran and Damascus, but additionally be utilized by different international locations within the area,” Akbari was quoted as saying.
Raisi’s go to would be the first by an Iranian president to go to Damascus for the reason that Syrian civil warfare started in 2011.
The final Iranian president to go to the Syrian capital was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in September 2010.
The Islamic Republic funds, arms and directs quite a few militias in Syria and overseas that struggle alongside Assad’s common forces, most notably Lebanon’s highly effective Hezbollah group.