IIsrael attacked Syria again. Syria was attacked at least five times in March. This time, the targets of the attack would have been the Syrian bases of Shayrat and Tias and the “pro-Iranian structures of Hezbollah” in the province of Homs.
The Iranians said another Iranian adviser, Megdad Mehrani, was killed in an Israeli attack on Friday morning. It appears that Mehrani was wounded in an attack which killed Colonel Millad Hedari, whom he is believed to have been protecting, and died of his wounds. Five Syrian soldiers were injured in the attack.
From Anna News agency:
02/04/2023 – Last night, Israeli Air Force planes launched a series of attacks on Syrian territory. Targets in Homs province were attacked. The airstrike was carried out from Lebanese airspace. The air strikes were carried out at 0.35 local time. Air defense units of the Syrian army tried to repel the attack. SANA news agency, citing its sources in the Syrian military, says some of the missiles have been intercepted. He also reports that 5 soldiers were injured as a result of the airstrike. There is also property damage. According to local sources, the Israeli air force has hit the Syrian air bases Shayrat and Tiyas. Additionally, there are reports of attacks on targets of the pro-Iranian Shia group Hezbollah.
Recall that Israeli aircraft regularly carry out strikes on the territory of Syria. As a rule, the assets of Iran’s allied Shiite armed formations are subject to air strikes. In March of this year alone, the Israeli Air Force carried out at least 5 such strikes. ( (see also: https://sana.sy/en/?p=305100)
A Syrian delegation flew to Moscow for “quadrilateral talks” with the delegations of Turkey, Iran and the Federation. On Monday, the Syrians will speak with the delegations of Russia and Iran. The Syrian delegation will meet the Turkish delegation on Tuesday. Russia has long been the architect of creating the conditions for these meetings to take place. Turkey has also said it is willing to leave the occupied territories. Peace seems ever closer as the West continues to increase sanctions.
Assad invited to Riyadh by Saudis
President Assad has been invited by the Saudis to the next meeting of the Arab League, to be held in Riyadh on May 19.
Saudi Arabia plans to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the next Arab League summit in Riyadh, it said Reuters on April 2.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will visit Damascus in the coming weeks to deliver a formal invitation to Assad to attend the May 19 summit, two sources familiar with the plans told the news agency.
Another source said discussions have been ongoing for more than a year on a list of Saudi Arabian demands for Syria to meet as a condition of restoring ties, including close cooperation on border security and work against drug trafficking.
Initial talks of a visit by Prince Faisal to Damascus or Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to Riyadh have been postponed due to earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6, one of the sources told Reuters.
Last month, Saudi Arabia and Syria reached a groundbreaking agreement to reopen their embassies after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Talks between Riyadh and Damascus gained momentum following a China-brokered deal to re-establish ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of al-Assad. The talks were sponsored by Russia.
Egypt has also recently moved closer to Syria. Just a day earlier, Mekdad paid a visit to Cario where he held a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. An Egyptian security source told Reuters the visit would help put in place steps to hand Syria back to the Arab League through Egyptian and Saudi mediation.
A report by the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya channel said an official Egyptian delegation will visit Damascus after Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday in the second half of April, to organize an Egypt-Syria summit. A separate report by The Wall Street newspaper said a meeting was to be arranged between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and al-Assad.
It is worth noting that El-Sisi made his first phone call to al-Assad to offer his condolences following the devastating earthquake.
All in all, it appears that Syria is well on its way to reclaiming its position within the Arab world. The war-torn country will gain a lot from this achievement not only politically, but also economically. Attempts by the United States and the European Union to isolate and pressure Damascus have apparently failed.
(Southfront: