Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei said that the continued presence of American forces in Syria is “impossible,” and warned them against “trampling under the feet of Syrian youth.”
In his speech before a group of families of those killed by the Revolutionary Guard forces in Syria and Iraq, Khamenei touched on the current Syrian developments, repeating his previous positions after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
His official website quoted him as saying: “The Syrian people will triumph, sooner or later, over the occupiers, and the resistance of Yemen, Palestine and Lebanon will continue,” speaking about the “successive construction” of American bases in Syria. He added: “The aggressor must leave the nation’s land, otherwise he will be expelled.” ; Therefore, American military bases will be trampled under the feet of Syrian youth.”
Khamenei said, “Syria belongs to the people of Syria, and those who attack its land will undoubtedly be forced to retreat before the power of the jealous Syrian youth.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard withdrew its forces from Syria days before the fall of Assad, and the commander of those forces, Hossein Salami, said that his forces “were the last to withdraw from the battle line.”
On December 11, Khamenei attributed Assad’s fall to an “American-Israeli plan” and “a neighboring country to Syria,” in an implicit reference to Türkiye.
In turn, Ali Larijani, chief advisor to Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei, stressed that his country’s leadership’s dealings with the new authority in Syria depend on its actions and that “if its behavior is rational, there is no problem with it.”
During a television interview, Larijani referred to Tehran’s position on the recent radical changes that affected Syria and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, saying: “Our dealings with them depend on their actions… If they say that they are defending the territorial integrity of Syria, granting all groups their rights, and building a democratic state, We will support them.”
He added, wondering: “But, will they implement this talk on the ground?” This is what’s important. Will their insides be the same as they are on the outside?
Larijani considered that “the silence of Syria’s new rulers in the face of the Zionist occupation will not be in their interest.”
Last updated: January 2, 2025 – 11:10
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