DUBAI, December 17. /TASS/. Iran will reopen its diplomatic missions in Syria as soon as the safety of staff can be guaranteed, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei announced.
"The issue of resuming the activities of the embassy [in Damascus] and the consulate [in Aleppo] is on the agenda. As soon as the necessary conditions are provided, both in terms of security and politically, we will resume this work," said Baqaei at a weekly briefing.
On December 8, the Iranian embassy in Damascus was stormed by armed groups that had seized control of the Syrian capital. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and called for preventing similar incidents in the future. Diplomats were successfully evacuated to Lebanon.
In late November, armed opposition forces launched a large-scale offensive on the Syrian army’s positions and entered Damascus on December 8. Bashar Assad stepped down as Syrian president and left the country. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who had led the so-called Salvation Government in the Idlib Province, pronounced himself head of Syria’s interim government, which will last until March 1, 2025.