TABNAK, Dec 16: “We plan to restart operations at the embassy immediately. Additionally, they have assured us of their readiness and guaranteed the safety of the embassy,” Hossein Akbari said in an interview on Sunday.
“We also transferred the staff people to Beirut for two to three days to ensure their security and prevent any possible damage. God willing, the embassy will resume its activities soon,” he said.
Akbari stated that before Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) arrived in Damascus, unknown people looted Damascus, including Iran’s embassy.
“We did not have a single dollar in the embassy and none of the Iranians were harmed,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Iran's ambassador said that “Israel has considered the fall of Bashar al-Assad a major victory for itself.”
“The regime bombed 400 sites in Syria in 72 hours, destroying around 90% of defense capabilities ...and today announced it will take a number of Israelis to the Golan Heights,” he stated.
The Israeli military has launched more than 60 new strikes on Syria, bringing the total number of attacks in a week to about 800.
Media reports said Sunday Israel struck dozens of sites in Syria overnight with airstrikes. More than 60 Israeli airstrikes took place over the last 12 hours.
The focus of Israeli airstrikes has been Damascus and its outskirts. Last night, they hit ammunition depots and air defense systems in a district of the Syrian capital.
The ambassador said that “the most important influential variable in this scene is the role of the Zionist regime.”
“This regime does not want a powerful government to be formed in Syria that would be a threat to it,” he stated.
“The interests of the Zionist regime also shape US policies. These factors are serious challenges that Syria is currently facing,” he explained.
Foreign-backed militants, led by HTS, took control of Damascus on December 8 and declared an end to President Assad’s rule in a surprise offensive that was launched from their stronghold in northwestern Syria, reaching the capital in less than two weeks.
Syria has been gripped by militancy since 2011, when various armed groups, sponsored by Western countries and their regional allies, began their attempts to overthrow the Syrian government. Meanwhile, Iran and Russia supported the legitimate Syrian government in its fight against the militants.
During his interview, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed that HTS and its allies are in contact with Western countries and are “holding discussions with Britain to restore its representation in Damascus.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also confirmed that the US is in direct contact with HTS, even though the US government had issued a $10 million bounty on Sharaa’s head.
