Putin's Representative: Iran and Hezbollah Must Also Leave Syria

One day after Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria, his special representative for Syrian affairs stated that this includes Iranian forces and Hezbollah from Lebanon as well. Vladimir Putin said on Thursday in Sochi during a meeting with Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, that during the peace establishment phase in Syria, foreign military personnel must leave the country. Alexander Lavrentiev, Putin's special representative for Syria, responded to reporters on Friday, May 17, stating that Mr. Putin's remarks 'include all foreign military units in Syria, including the USA, Turkey, Hezbollah (Lebanon), and of course Iran.' According to Agence France-Presse, Russia's mention of the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria is unprecedented. Although Lavrentiev's statements were published by Agence France-Presse and Russian media, several Iranian media outlets, including Fars News Agency, referred to the representative's remarks as 'attributed' to him. Lavrentiev also stated that Putin's remarks about the withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria 'carry a political message' and that this process 'must be carried out within a framework of a plan.' Iran has been one of the two key allies of Bashar al-Assad's government during the seven years of the Syrian war, with hundreds of its military personnel and allied militias killed in the country. In the latest incident, on Friday, the British network 'Sky News' reported several explosions at the airport in Hama city, claiming that 57 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in these explosions. However, the Iranian news agency IRNA on Saturday quoted 'an informed Iranian official in Syria' denying this claim. Iran's military presence in Syria faces criticism domestically, and additionally, Israel considers the consolidation of this presence a threat to its borders. The USA and Arab countries have also strongly criticized Iran's military presence in Syria, viewing it as part of other 'destabilizing actions by Iran in the region.' Russia, another ally of Bashar al-Assad's government, has also had a military presence in Syria over the past three years. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, in an interview with an Argentine newspaper published on Friday, stated that his country's military presence in Syria was at the invitation of Damascus and will continue 'as long as they need it.' However, Alexander Lavrentiev in his statements on Friday said that Russia will only maintain two of its bases in Syria. The statements from Russian officials come as some American media have reported that the Trump administration is halting financial aid to programs in northwest Syria. American officials have not yet reacted to this news, but Reuters quoted some officials as saying that 'humanitarian aid' to those areas will not be cut. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has called for a review of US aid to Washington's allies in Syria.