May 10, 2013 (TSR-PressTV) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the situation in Syria is ‘very good,’ as the Syrian army now has control over most parts of the Arab country.
“We are hopeful about the future of Syria. Of course, this does not mean that everything will soon be over, [but] the Syrian army has resisted pretty well so far,” said the top Iranian diplomat in Tehran on Wednesday following his trip to Syria and Jordan.
“The region is currently witnessing momentous developments. Therefore, Iran must be in constant contact with the regional countries in order to prevent any incident the inevitable consequences of which could engulf the entire region,” Salehi added.
The Iranian foreign minister arrived in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Tuesday, and held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss the latest developments in the crisis-hit country.
Earlier in the day, Salehi met with top Jordanian officials including his Jordanian counterpart, Yasser Judeh, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and King Abdullah II.
Referring to his meeting with Assad, Salehi said the latest regional developments were discussed in the meeting where “good decisions” were also made.
“What matters most is the people’s support for the Syrian army and government… they have realized that the mercenaries massacring the people inside Syria do not want anyone’s good,” Salehi said.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed by foreign-backed militants, which Damascus says are trained and supported by the Western powers and their allies in the region.
Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.
Syrian army regains control of strategic town in south
Reports say the Syrian forces have released the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh on Wednesday from the militants after about two months of clashes. The town is situated near the Jordanian border.
According to the opposition sources, some 1,000 militants withdrew from the town after they lost hope that aids would come from Jordan.
The sources also said that the Syrian Army’s success in the area has raised resentment among militants over what they consider as lack of support from Jordan in their fight against the Syrian government forces.
On May 4, the Syrian troops drove out militants from towns of Aziza and Tall Assan, located near the northwestern city of Aleppo.
The army also discovered tunnels dug by the militants in Aziza, and secured a strategic bridge that linked several towns in the Aleppo countryside.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian forces regained control over two key areas in Ghouta, near the capital Damascus, where a large number of militants were killed in the operations.
The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
