Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Sunday called the US-led attacks on Syria an "act of savagery" and a "charade", which will only reinforce the determination of the Arab nation to fight the terrorists.
The United States, France and Britain launched airstrikes against Syrian research, storage and military targets in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack by government forces a week earlier—a claim dismissed by Damascus and its allies Russia and Iran.
Launched from warplanes and naval destroyers, the burst of missiles and bombs struck Syria shortly after 4 a.m. local time on Saturday, the New York Times reported.
The strikes marked the second time that US President Donald Trump has attacked Syria. The White House had sought to create a response that would be more robust than the attack in April 2017, when the US fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base.
Bygone Era
Speaking in an open session of parliament, Larijani said, "The era of charades is over and the only outcome of such acts of savagery is that the identity of supporters of terrorism and hypocrites will be exposed," IRNA reported.
The new developments will only make the Syrians more determined to defeat the terrorists, he said. "The notion that they [western powers] will achieve their objectives with such vicious and illegal moves is a mirage. Similar adventurism has been seen in the past six to seven years. All were proved futile.”
On Sunday 239 lawmakers issued a statement, saying the attack will not lead to gains for the western states.
They reiterated Iran's support for Syria's government, which they said will eventually emerge victorious out of the current situation, according to ICANA.
Continued Backing
The chairman of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri on Saturday assured the Syrian defense minister of Tehran’s support.
"The nation and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic will continue to fight alongside the Syrian people and armed forces against the terrorists," Tasnim News Agency quoted Baqeri as telling Ali Abdullah Ayyoub on phone.
The "hasty" intervention, which took place on "false" pretext, was an expression of the rage of western powers and their regional allies at recent gains of the Syrian military in the fight against the terrorists, the general said.
Undeniable Crime
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps released a statement on Saturday, denouncing the US-led attacks as a "flagrant and undeniable crime".
It criticized the silence of Muslim countries in the face of Washington's atrocities, Fars News Agency reported. The strikes, which risked raising tension in an already combustible region, seemed unlikely to have much impact on the balance of power in Syria’s seven-year-old civil war, in which Bashar al-Assad’s government has steadily gained the upper hand against armed opponents after Russia intervened in 2015.
Reports say 239 lawmakers issued a statement reiterating support for Syria's government, which they said will eventually emerge victorious
