Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of an influential parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, reiterated his country’s full support for the Syrian government, stressing that a political solution is the only way for Syria to emerge from the current crisis. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of refusing to cooperate and share intelligence on Syria and said he was willing to send a high-profile delegation led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to the United States. But Washington and its allies slammed Russia’s intervention in the multi-front conflict, saying Moscow was also targeting Western-backed moderate rebels and seeking to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
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On the issue of sending Iranian troops to Syria, the Iranian official said his country would consider sending troops to Syria if the Syrian government requested that.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Meshkov said that Russia had never denied providing military aid to Syria, and was ready to fight against all “constructive” groups fighting Daesh.
Citing a military source, SANA said the army troops also conducted “precise operations” on the rebel-held towns of Talbiseh and Tair Ma’aleh north of Homs. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Wednesday’s statements were the first confirmation of Iranian fighters taking part in combat operations in Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group which monitors Syria’s four-year-old civil war, said five civilians and six insurgents had been killed in Teir Malla, about 3 miles (5 km) north of Homs city.
Homs-based activist Bebars al-Talawy said the offensive began early Thursday and was preceded by intense air strikes and shelling.
The true will to counter terrorism exists in Syria and Iraq, and the new coalition has results on the ground, he said.
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Islamic State militants battled rival insurgent groups on Wednesday, October 14 north of the city of Aleppo, where officials say the Syrian army is preparing an offensive of its own backed by Iranian soldiers and Russian jets, Reuters reports.
