Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani met the visiting Syrian defense minister on Wednesday to discuss the latest regional developments, ISNA reported.
Praising the resistance put up by the Syrian army, nation and government against terrorist groups over the past few years, Shamkhani said, "Certain countries that support terrorism aim to provide security for the Zionist regime."
Noting that Syria has an important position in the region, he said by taking advantage of opportunities, Syria can play a more effective role as part of the resistance front against Israel.
"The international community has now come to acknowledge that boosting terrorism … results in nothing but the intensification of crises," he said, adding that the current regional crises can only be solved through negotiation and diplomacy.
Fahd Jassem al-Freij, who is also deputy commander of the Syrian armed forces, briefed the secretary about the developments on the ground in Syria, emphasizing the high spirits of the Syrian armed forces and nation.
"The imposed war on Syria is directly led and continued by the US, the Zionist regime and some reactionary states of the region that should be responsive to the world public opinion and their own nations for killing people."
Saudi Indecision
Shamkhani said Saudi Arabia, which is grappling with domestic problems and internal power struggles, has excluded itself from the Muslim world by attacking its weak neighbor and killing the innocent Muslim people.
Condemning the inhuman move by the Saudi regime to attack Yemen, Shamkhani said the fact that Saudis declared the end of bombing after 26 days and then again continued to drop bombs on the defenseless people is "a sign of indecision, confusion and division" of Saudi decision-makers.
In a separate meeting on Tuesday, Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan and his Syrian counterpart emphasized the determination of the two sides to combat terrorism. On the Syrian crisis, Dehqan said, "The imposed takfiri-Zionist battle" against the Syrian nation is in line with the common strategies adopted by the US and Israel.
A takfiri is a Muslim who accuses followers of other faiths and some Islamic sects as unbelievers and heretics.
"The main objective of the war in Syria is to provide permanent security for the Zionist regime, weaken Muslim countries, reshape the Middle East and finally gain full control over the region," he noted. The Syrian official, for his part, called for enhanced defense collaboration with Iran.
