Ayatollah Khamenei defiant even as Iran evacuates thousands from Syria

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Iran has tried to put on a brave face over the sudden overthrow of its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad, insisting it will continue to confront the United States and Israel in the region even after evacuating thousands of its citizens during the rebel takeover of Damascus.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Wednesday in his first comments since the regime’s defeat in Syria that Iran’s “resistance front,” made up of allies across the Middle East, “will strengthen under pressure” and ” “It will extend its reach to the entire territory.” region”.

But Tehran has also acknowledged having evacuated its citizens from Syria in the face of the Islamist rebel advance. “More than 4,000 Iranian citizens have returned home from Syria aboard 10 Mahan Air flights in the last three days,” government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said, adding that the Foreign Ministry would ensure the evacuation of every last citizen. Iranian.

It is unclear whether the evacuees include Iranian pilgrims, diplomats or military personnel stationed in Syria. Esmaeil Baghaei of the Foreign Ministry said earlier that all Iranian diplomats had been safely removed from Iran’s embassy in Damascus before the building was attacked.

Khamenei noted that Iranian forces were on an “advisory” mission in Syria and could not fight in place of the Syrian army, to whose weakness he attributed the rapid fall of the regime. “The problems that Syria is experiencing today are a result of its army showing weakness and losing its firmness and resilience.”

Analysts see Assad’s fall as a serious blow to the regional influence that Iran has nurtured over the past four decades through proxies and supporters eager to confront both Israel and the United States. Iran used Syria as a supply route to aid and finance Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen.

Iran’s forces and military facilities, stationed in Syria for many years, were often targeted by Israeli airstrikes over the past year. Israel also assassinated Hezbollah leaders and attacked the group’s weapons stockpiles and infrastructure ahead of a ceasefire agreed to last month.

Khamenei cited the US and Israeli attack on targets inside Syria and Israel’s capture of parts of Syrian territory in recent days as evidence of their involvement in Assad’s overthrow, saying that “terrorist or armed groups” of Syria were only operating in his name.

“There is no doubt that the main command center is in the United States and the Zionist regime,” Khamenei said, citing “indisputable clues” showing the involvement of the United States and Israel in the overthrow of Assad.

Russia, the Assad regime’s other crucial international supporter, was also shocked by its defeat and has granted asylum to the deposed leader. For years, Moscow was Assad’s main military support, attacking the rebels with its warplanes until days before his final victory. The Kremlin has withdrawn its forces from parts of Syria, but has so far maintained its main air and naval bases in the Mediterranean.

Iran on Wednesday rejected reports that $42 million in cash had been stolen from its embassy in Damascus after video footage emerged of assailants ransacking the building on Sunday. He said all contingency plans had been made before the evacuation.

Khamenei warned against suggestions that Iran itself would be weakened by events in Syria and Lebanon. “Iran is powerful and will become more powerful,” he said, warning that “using comments or analysis to discourage people is a crime.”

Tehran is cautiously examining how to deal with Syria’s new rulers, and two former Iranian lawmakers have expressed concern about Syria’s debts to Iran, which they said run into billions of dollars.

Khamenei, however, seems to hope that the situation will eventually turn in Tehran’s favor.

“Some celebrate in Damascus and take over people’s homes, or the Zionist regime bombs targets in Syria. . . “This won’t last long,” he said. “The Syrian youth will rise up and change the situation.” However, he admitted that this could take a long time.