Top Commander: US Action against Syria to Undermine Russia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A possible US strike on Syria could lead to major problems for other powers such as Russia, and even those regional countries which favor military action there would come to grief, a senior Iranian commander said.
“A US attack on Syria will undermine Russia's (defensive) front in Caucasus, forcing it to defend itself near Moscow,” Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Friday.
He also warned that any military intervention by the US will bring about “great problems” for other countries.
“Regional countries which favor such a cruel war will suffer serious losses,” he warned.
In a relevant development on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any military intervention in Syria without a mandate from the United Nations would be a grave violation of international law.
Lavrov called on the United States and other Western powers to avoid "past mistakes" by intervening in Syria following accusations by rebel forces that Syrian government used chemical weapons against them.
Also on Wednesday, Lavrov said in a statement that armed intervention being considered by the US and its allies "will lead to the long-term destabilization of the situation in the country and the region."
The war rhetoric against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused President Bashar al-Assad’s government of having launched a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
Damascus has categorically rejected the claim, blaming the rebels for the August 21 attack and similar ones in the past.
