DUBAI, December 2. /TASS/. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in phone talks that terrorist activities in Syria are part of a US-Israeli plan to destabilize the situation in the Middle East, the Iranian president’s office said in a statement.
"We are convinced that the recent events are part of a perilous plan of the US and the Zionist regime (Israel - TASS) to politically destabilize the region in the interests of the Zionists," Pezeshkian was quoted as saying in the statement.
According to the politician, the plan is doomed to fail "thanks to the unity and cooperation of countries in the region."
Pezeshkian highly praised the role that Russia and its leader play in maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East, for example in preserving the territorial integrity of Syria.
"I know what colossal efforts you have made recently to control the situation in the region and help resolve the crisis in Syria," the Iranian president was quoted as saying to Putin.
According to his office, the presidents agreed that increased terrorist attacks on northern Syria pose a "serious threat" to stability in the Middle East. Pezeshkian expressed readiness to join forces with Russia to help resolve the Syrian crisis.
"While the establishment of a ceasefire in Lebanon opened a window of hope for peace in the region, the increased activity of terrorist groups in northern Syria, acting with the support of the Zionist regime, imperiled stability [in the Middle East] again,’ he said.
On the morning of November 27, the Jabhat al-Nusra extremist group (banned in Russia) carried out a major attack in northern Syria. According to the Syrian armed forces, the terrorists attempted to attack villages and towns under the protection of the Syrian armed forces and military sites, continuing to target the positions of government units. The Syrian military started an operation to repel the raid. On November 30, the country’s military command stated that the armed forces were conducting strikes on the positions of terrorists who had infiltrated many neighborhoods of the city of Aleppo. According to the Syrian Defense Ministry, the armed forces had to regroup to protect the lives of civilians and troops and prepare for a counterattack.