Damascus Warns Iranian Leaders: Do Not Push Syria into Chaos

The new Syrian Foreign Minister, Assad Hassan Al-Shaibani, warned the Islamic Republic of Iran on Tuesday, December 25, to refrain from pushing Syria into chaos. According to Reuters, Al-Shaibani emphasized in a post on the social media platform X that the Iranian government must respect the will of the Syrian people and the sovereignty of the country. He further warned in this post, published in Arabic, that officials of the Islamic Republic would be held responsible for the consequences of their statements regarding Syria. This position was announced after Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, claimed in late December that the opponents of Assad, who have taken control of the country, 'each have their own agenda. Their goals are different; some are seeking to seize territory from northern or southern Syria,' and according to him, 'the seized areas of Syria will be liberated by the valiant Syrian youth; do not doubt that this will happen.' The Islamic Republic had supported Bashar al-Assad, the former regime leader in Damascus, throughout the Syrian civil war. However, with a sudden advance by his armed opponents, important cities in Syria fell one after another into the hands of the opposition, and Bashar al-Assad was forced to flee to Moscow on December 9, with Islamic Republic forces also leaving Syria. The spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry stated on December 24 in response to a question about whether the Islamic Republic has contact with the new leaders of Syria, 'There is no direct communication with the ruling faction in Syria.' However, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's government said a day later on December 25 that the Islamic Republic is engaged in 'diplomatic talks to reopen embassies.' After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic Republic's embassy in Damascus was attacked by the public and severely damaged. Additionally, a former employee of the Islamic Republic's embassy was targeted and killed in Syria a few days ago. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic's ambassador had previously stated that its staff had been evacuated from Syria. Syria has not allowed flights; flights from Iran have been canceled until January 22. Ahmad Al-Shara: Qatar is ready to invest in Syria's energy and ports. Israeli Defense Minister admits for the first time: We killed Haniyeh in Tehran. Gantz: The opportunity for a 'strategic blow' to the Islamic Republic is available.