As the Syrian civil war intensifies with rebel forces recapturing the northern stronghold city of Aleppo after eight years, Iran, which has supported the Bashar al-Assad regime, has declared that it is considering deploying troops. The U.S. military conducted airstrikes against pro-Iran armed groups.
Syrian rebel fighters are driving an armored vehicle seized from government forces on the 3rd (local time) in Maarrat al-Numan, south of Idlib, Syria. Photo by AP Yonhap News
On the 3rd (local time), Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated in an interview with a Qatari media outlet that Iran would consider deploying troops if the Syrian government requests it. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported his remarks.
The Syrian civil war has been ongoing since 2011. Iran, along with Russia, has supported the government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
Currently, in northern and northwestern Syria, rebel forces led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have joined forces with pro-Turkey factions to launch a large-scale offensive, resulting in the capture of key strongholds.
The government forces, in coordination with Russian troops, announced that they conducted airstrikes and missile attacks against rebels operating in the northwestern Idlib region. The al-Assad side claimed that the strikes "killed dozens of terrorists and destroyed their means of transportation and weapons."
In the eastern Deir ez-Zor region, government forces and pro-Iran armed groups are engaged in combat against the Kurdish militia 'Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF), which receives U.S. support. The U.S. military carried out airstrikes against the pro-Iran armed groups.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder stated that the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) struck three truck-mounted mobile multiple rocket launchers, T-64 tanks, and mortars near the Euphrates U.S. military base. He said the strikes were conducted in response to a clear and imminent threat.
Ryder explained that pro-Iran armed groups operating in the area have previously attacked the Euphrates U.S. military base. He emphasized that the strikes were carried out solely for the self-defense of U.S. forces and are unrelated to the situation in Aleppo or northwestern Syria. Approximately 900 U.S. troops are stationed in Syria.
Israel conducted a targeted airstrike near Damascus Airport, the Syrian capital, killing Salman Nemer Jama, a senior official of the pro-Iran militant group Hezbollah. Jama was reportedly responsible for liaising with the Syrian government forces and securing weapons.
Meanwhile, at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the Syrian civil war held at the UN headquarters in New York on the 3rd, Russia and the United States clashed, exchanging harsh accusations.
Robert Wood, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN and chair of the meeting, strongly criticized the Syrian government and Russian forces for airstrikes on schools and hospitals that caused numerous civilian casualties.
In response, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's Ambassador to the UN, sarcastically remarked, "You have not had the courage to condemn the terrorist attacks carried out against peaceful civilians living in peaceful Syrian cities." This was interpreted as a reference to the recent rebel offensives that led to the fall of Aleppo and other areas.
Wood retorted to Ambassador Nebenzya, saying, "You are not in a position to lecture us," and accused Russia of supporting regimes that sponsor terrorism worldwide.
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