Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (left) and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has reassured his Syrian counterpart that the Islamic Republic will continue its support for the ‘Resistance Front’, especially Syria.
In a phone call with Bashar al-Assad on Saturday evening on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, Raisi reiterated Tehran’s support for “the axis of resistance.” The terms "resistance front" or “axis of resistance” are coined by the Islamic Republic to describe its allies and proxies throughout the region.
Raisi also said that Tehran supports the establishment of peace and stability in Syria and opposes any foreign intervention in the country.
According to Iranian media’s readout of the phone call, Assad said that "the enemies are getting weaker day by day against the axis of resistance,” noting that Iran and Syria are on the same front.
In recent years, Iran bought large tracts of land close to the Syrian Israeli border and is settling Shiites to threaten Israel, taking advantage of a destructive civil war in Syria and the ensuing poverty, as well as migrations.
Many young people in these areas, very close to Israel, are now members of Iranian-backed militia groups, such as Hezbollah or the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade.
These forces have been fighting under the Revolutionary Guard’s command for almost a decade in Syria to keep Assad in power, and when the war turned against rebels, the Iranian military moved closer to the Israeli border.
Some countries in the region, notably Jordan, are concerned about Iran and its proxies filling a vacuum left by Russians in southern Syria.