TASS, January 14. Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis has urged all Middle Eastern countries to resist the American presence in the region. He made the statement on Tuesday in Tehran at a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

"All nations as well as governments of all countries in the region should confront the illegal presence of the US," the Al Mayadeen TV quotes the Syrian prime minister as saying.

Khamis added that Iran’s missile strikes on Al-Asad Air Base and the Erbil airport "showed the enemies that they have nothing to be proud of."

In turn, Rouhani underlined that Washington must withdraw its forces from the region. "We believe that Middle Eastern states must not stay silent. US troops must leave the region," he emphasized.

The situation around Iran exacerbated dramatically after the US launched a strike on Baghdad’s airport on January 3 killing General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force. Tehran vowed to respond harshly. On January 8, Iran retaliated by launching missile strikes on two facilities in Iraq used by US military — Al-Asad Air Base and the Erbil airport.