Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said Iran will keep its military advisors in Syria until all terrorist groups are defeated. "At the request of the Syrian government, we will continue our military advisory role in Syria. The claims made by the Zionist [Israeli] regime or any other country have no influence whatsoever on decisions and calculations of the Islamic Republic in pursuing its national interests and regional security," Tasnim News Agency quoted Shamkhani as saying on Monday. The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 4 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sent a message to Syria's leader threatening to strike the country, if it allowed Iran to set up military bases. Iranian military advisors were instrumental in ending a foreign-backed militancy in Syria. Unlike the US and its allies—who have established their illegal presence in the war-ravaged country without the Arab government's consent—Iran's presence has been at the request of the Syrian government.
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