Iraq's foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, will welcome his counterparts from the Islamic Republic and Syria on Friday to discuss the recent military progress made by rebel factions opposing the government of Bashar al-Assad.
The hastily arranged meeting comes in the wake of an unexpected offensive last week in northeastern Syria, led by the Islamist group formerly aligned with Al-Qaeda, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
This incursion, which began on November 27, has led to the seizure of the key cities of Aleppo and Hama. Despite resistance from Damascus and its Russian allies, government-backed military units are struggling to prevent further territorial losses in these areas, which had remained relatively stable throughout Syria’s 13-year civil war.
Baghdad and the theocracy in Tehran have been longstanding backers of Syria's Ba'athist dictatorship, offering substantial lethal, material, and political assistance in the past. Earlier this week, militias based in Iraq, along with a senior representative of the Iran regime’s armed forces, entered the conflict zone to help stop the opposition fighters.
Among other issues, the three diplomats are likely to discuss the consequences of losing Homs, the last major city located on the insurgent’s southern path toward the Syrian capital.
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