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A banner depicting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Douma, outside Damascus, Syria, September 17, 2018. /VCG Photo
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday discussed the "escalatory stances" of the U.S. administration with a visiting Iranian official, according to a report by Syria's state news agency SANA.
Assad received in the capital Damascus Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior aide of the Iranian foreign minister, during which both sides discussed the developments of the Iranian nuclear agreement after Washington backed out of it, and "the recent U.S. escalatory positions which seek to destabilize the region and increase tension in it," said the report.
The official news agency said Assad affirmed Syria's support for Iran and its leadership in defending the people's rights against all threats and acts that violate the basis of international law.
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An image grab taken from a video shows what appears to be smoke billowing over buildings near the Syrian capital Damascus, following a reported Israeli air strike overnight on July 1, 2019. /VCG Photo
The talks also touched upon the situation in Syria's Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, and the upcoming round of Astana talks about Syria.
Khaji underscored the strength of the "strategic relations" between the two countries, affirming Iran's determination to continue bolstering them in all fields to serve the interests of both sides.
He added that the Iranian leadership and people have supported and will always support Syria until it liberates all its territory and rebuilds what has been destroyed by war.
The visit comes two days after Israel carried out intensive missile strikes on Syria, reportedly targeting positions of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and Lebanese Hezbollah group.
Damaged houses are seen after an attack by Syrian government forces in the Jisr al-Shughour District in Idlib Province, Syria, May 14, 2019. /VCG Photo
The Syrian government has repeatedly charged that Israel supports the terror groups in Syria and its repeated strikes are nothing but a way to lift the rebels' morale.
Meanwhile, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria throughout the eight-year conflict, most of them against what it says were targets of Iranian-backed militia groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Israel says it is determined to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where Teheran backs Assad.