The Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Masoud Pezeshkian, his counterpart in the Islamic Republic, on Monday to discuss the ongoing rebel offensive in Syria.
“Unconditional support was expressed for the actions of the legitimate authorities of Syria to restore constitutional order and to restore the political, economic, and social stability of the Syrian State,” a statement from Moscow noted in reference to the discussion.
On Wednesday, insurgents led by the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched an unexpected assault against the dictatorship of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, capturing the city of Aleppo and seizing territory in the northwestern provinces of Hama and Idlib.
In response to the incursion, Russia joined forces with the Syrian Air Force, conducting airstrikes on opposition positions in the newly captured areas, while two Tehran-backed militias from Iraq sent ground forces to assist Damascus in its defensive operations.
Since the outbreak of Syria’s multi-party civil war in 2011, both Russia and the Iranian regime have been key backers of al-Assad, offering diplomatic, material, and military support to his autocratic government.
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