The influence of Iran and Russia in Iraq has troubled United States officials, who have accused the Russians of targeting Syrian opposition groups with air strikes on the pretext of fighting ISIL.
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Al-Moallem touched on the reasons behind the frenzied campaign waged by the states conspiring against Syria after said states witnessed the achievements made by the Syrian Arab Army in cooperation with Russian Federation and the Lebanese resistance and with the support of Iran.
“It is no longer hidden that thousands of Iranians are now in Syria and their role is fundamental”, a second official described as “close to the Syrian government” told Reuters.
The video conference “focused on steps that can be taken by Russian and counter-ISIL coalition aircraft to promote safe flight operations over Syria”, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in a written statement.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the memorandum of understanding could be implemented in the near future after a few follow-on review.
Since September 30, Russian Federation has been conducting airstrikes against the positions of the terrorists across Syria upon a request from the Damascus government.
The reinforcements came from factions including the Turkistan Islamic Party, a foreign jihadist group also operating in the area, and Syrian rebel groups, he said.
The ministry said its SU-30CM jet was within 2-3 kilometers of the USA plane.
A general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hossein Hamedani, was killed in Aleppo province while advising the Syrian army on their battle against Islamic State in the area, the guards said on Friday.
Such support would be “a complicated proposition”, he added, given that a lot of the materiel the USA has sent to moderate rebels has ended up in the hands of jihadists. The government controls western areas of the city, and an array of insurgent groups control the east.
The Iranian troops will join a coming ground offensive against Syrian rebels in Aleppo, a city that remains divided, with the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army entrenched in constant fighting over the area.
Instead, the rebel groups are still pushing back.
The rebels have been using guided anti-tank, or TOW, missiles to hit tanks and other army vehicles.
Charles Lister, a Syria expert at the Brookings Doha Center, said much will depend on how quickly and efficiently the rebels’ weaponry can be replenished by the states supporting them.
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Abdulrahman said: “There are many TOWs being used”. That umbrella group includes militants from the Nusra Front. “It is the Russian invasion”, he said. “Everyone would understand that”. The rebels have kept a lid on their casualty figures, just like the Syrian government. “In my mind, that is a victory”.
