Iran Says its Power Undiminished after Assad's Fall in Syria

Opposition fighters patrol a street in Damascus on December 10, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
Opposition fighters patrol a street in Damascus on December 10, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
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Iran Says its Power Undiminished after Assad's Fall in Syria

Opposition fighters patrol a street in Damascus on December 10, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
Opposition fighters patrol a street in Damascus on December 10, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that Tehran had not been weakened following the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Iranian media reported.
"We have not been weakened and Iran's power has not diminished," Hossein Salami was quoted as telling members of parliament in a closed session.
Iran and Russia had propped up Assad's rule since Syria's civil war erupted in 2011 with military support, men and airpower. Tehran deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria to keep its ally in power to maintain Tehran's "Axis of Resistance" to Israel and US.influence in the Middle East.
Assad's exit has eroded Tehran's ability to project power and sustain its network of militia groups across the region, particularly to its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, which agreed a ceasefire with Israel last month.
"The overthrow of the Zionist regime (Israel) is not off the agenda," Salami said in the session which met to discuss the latest developments in Syria, Reuters reported.
Salami said no Iranian forces remained in Syria.
Following Assad's fall from power, Iran's foreign ministry called for a national dialogue to form an inclusive government representing all segments of Syrian society.
Iran's government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani on Tuesday called for "respect for Syria's territorial integrity,” saying the Syrian people should decide their own fate.



Egypt, Spain Reject US Plan to Displace Gazans

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt, Spain Reject US Plan to Displace Gazans

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hold a signed agreements following their meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2025. (EPA)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday rejected a controversial proposal by US President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians from the war-devastated Gaza Strip.  

The Arab League is scheduled to hold an extraordinary meeting in Cairo on March 4 in response to Trump's plan to take over Gaza and permanently move its Palestinian inhabitants elsewhere, including to Egypt and Jordan, and then redevelop the coastal territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East".  

Speaking in Madrid ahead of the gathering, Sisi called for the "international community's support and adoption of a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing the Palestinian people -- I repeat, without displacing the Palestinian people -- from their land, which they cling to, and their homeland, which they do not agree to relinquish".

Sanchez, one of the staunchest defenders of the Palestinian cause within the European Union, agreed, saying "Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and is part of the future Palestinian state".

"Their expulsion would not only be immoral and contrary to international law and United Nations resolutions, but would also have a destabilizing effect," the Socialist premier added.  

The two leaders also signed a declaration upgrading Egypt-Spain relations to a "strategic partnership", as well as several memorandums of understanding in various fields including illegal migration and defense.  

Trump's plan sparked an outcry from Arab governments as well as from world leaders, and the United Nations warned against "ethnic cleansing" in the Palestinian territory.