Embattled in Gaza and Lebanon, can Iran defend Assad in Syria amid Aleppo offensive?
Iran is at a critical juncture amid the Sunni insurgent offensive in Syria, as it navigates the realities about its weakened ally Hezbollah and the complexities of its own presence in a geopolitical power play that involves multiple actors competing for different agendas.
TEHRAN — Iran has responded with alarm to the ongoing rebel offensive in Syria, where it has maintained an active presence to shore up its ally President Bashar al-Assad since the country was plunged into a civil war over a decade ago.
"This is a Zionist-American conspiracy," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone conversation on Friday with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Araghchi was referring to lightning operations that have seen a coalition of Sunni militants swiftly closing in on the city of Aleppo, Syria's largest economic and cultural hub.
According to the chief Iranian diplomat, the alleged US-Israeli plot reactivated the insurgents following "the Zionist regime's defeats in Lebanon and Palestine." He renewed Iran's pledge of support for Damascus in the fight against "terrorism and safeguarding regional stability."
