Iran must face new "realities" in Syria following the regime's fall, said Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, on Thursday. Iran had been a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia.
For decades, Syria has been a cornerstone of the land bridge between Iran and Hezbollah, a member of its anti-Israeli "axis of resistance," allowing the transit of weapons and fighters.
The takeover in Syria by a coalition of rebels, dominated by radical Sunni Islamists, threatens the interests of Shiite-majority Iran.
"Iran has tried day and night to assist Bashar al-Assad's government in every possible way," said Salami, who oversees the Islamic Republic's ideological army.
Following the power shift in Damascus, "we must live with [new] realities in Syria," and Iran must "adapt its strategy accordingly," Salami stated, as reported by the official IRNA news agency.
The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), spearheading the offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad, has been backed by Turkey.
HTS, formerly al-Qaeda's Syrian branch (Al-Nusra), severed ties with the network in 2016 but remains designated as a "terrorist" organization by Western governments.
The Revolutionary Guards, alongside Russia, were at the forefront of supporting Bashar al-Assad's army during the Syrian civil war, deploying what they described as "military advisers."
With AFP
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