Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not attend the funeral ceremony of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and their companions after the crash of the presidential helicopter returning from Azerbaijan.
Assad’s absence raised several questions, especially after his return to the Arab embrace, his participation in the Bahrain summit and before that in the Saudi summit, the tense relations between Iran and the regime, the incidents that led to the withdrawal of several Revolutionary Guards from Syria, as well as the American overture towards Syria.
Western diplomatic reports have revealed that security meetings have recently taken place between US and Syrian officials in Damascus, in addition to meetings in Oman and Cyprus.
It should be noted that Bashar al-Assad did not take part and that his Foreign Minister headed the Syrian delegation. Informed sources confirm that Syria will have particular positions in the coming phase on regional issues, in particular the Lebanese crisis.
