Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai said that the recent actions of terrorist groups in Syria are part of a plan by Tel Aviv and Washington to destabilize the West Asian region, as well as a gross violation of the agreements of the Astana process, the Iranian Foreign Ministry reports.
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Earlier, the Syrian Ministry of Defense stated that last Wednesday the government army entered into battle with terrorists who attacked the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. Violating the de-escalation agreement, groups belonging to the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham attacked villages, towns and military positions on a wide front in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. According to the Syrian military department, the army responded to the attack, and as a result, the terrorists suffered losses in manpower and equipment.
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“Strongly condemning all forms and manifestations of terrorism, Baghai considered the movements of terrorist groups in Syria over the past two days to be part of … the plan of the terrorist Israeli regime and the United States to destabilize the West Asian region,” a statement posted on the official Telegram channel of the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
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According to him, in accordance with the agreements between the guarantors of the Astana process (Ankara, Moscow and Tehran), the suburbs of the cities of Aleppo and Idlib in the north and north-west of Syria are considered a de-escalation zone, and “an attack by terrorist groups on these areas is a gross violation of the agreements of the Astana process “.
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Baghai, as the ministry statement said, “stressed the need for vigilance and coordination among countries in the region, especially Syria’s neighbors, to neutralize this dangerous plot” and “called for decisive and concerted measures to prevent the spread of… terrorism in the region.”
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An armed conflict has been ongoing in Syria since 2011. Scattered groups of terrorists continue to operate in desert areas in northern and northeastern Syria after the army liberated most of the country. Terrorists periodically stage raids on civilian and military vehicles on highways and terrorize residents of remote villages. The Syrian army continues active targeted operations to eliminate the remaining militant groups.
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Negotiations in Astana, known as the Astana format, have been ongoing since 2017. The Astana format includes Russia, Iran, Turkey as guarantor countries of the process to resolve the Syrian crisis, as well as representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, the UN and observer countries: Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
