Assad: Syria Will Respond to Turkish Offensive

Assad and Fayyad. AFP
Assad and Fayyad. AFP
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Assad: Syria Will Respond to Turkish Offensive

Assad and Fayyad. AFP
Assad and Fayyad. AFP

Syria will respond to a Turkish aggression on any part of its territory with "all legitimate means" available, the head of the regime, Bashar al-Assad, said on Thursday, according to regime media.

We "will respond to it and confront it, in all its forms, anywhere in Syria, using all legitimate means at our disposal," Assad said during a meeting with Advisor of Iraq’s National Security Council Faleh al-Fayyad.

His remarks came after an agreement between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to fend off an assault launched by Turkey on northeastern Syria last week.

Turkey's operation has allowed Assad to send his forces to an area that had been beyond his control for years in the more than eight-year-old Syrian war.

Ankara had previously said it has taken control of Ras al-Ain and Tel Abyad, two key towns along the frontier.

The region's Kurdish-led authority called on Thursday for a corridor "to evacuate dead and wounded civilians" from Ras al-Ain. It said people were trapped in the town, urging foreign powers including the US-led coalition and Russia, to intervene to get them out.

Syrian troops accompanied by Russian forces have meanwhile entered Kobani, a strategic border city and potential flashpoint for a wider conflict, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.



Iranian FM from Beirut: We Respect Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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Iranian FM from Beirut: We Respect Lebanon’s Internal Affairs

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, left, receives his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that considering the regional developments, Iran is keen on opening a new chapter in its relations with Lebanon, assuring that his country respects Lebanon’s internal matters and does not meddle in them.

Araghchi, who arrived on Tuesday in Beirut coming from Egypt where he convened with senior officials, met with his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji at the foreign ministry’s headquarters in Downtown Beirut.

Araghchi said he has meetings scheduled with Lebanese President Jospeh Aoun, PM Nawaf Salam and his Lebanese counterpart.

“My trip to Lebanon comes as part of my tour in the region”, the state-run National News Agency quoted Araghchi as saying after he arrived at the airport.

“We respect Lebanon’s internal matters; we do not interfere in them. We also support Lebanon’s sovereignty during difficult times just like we did before”, he stated, noting that Iran attaches great importance to Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty and unity.

“I hope there would be a new leaf of relations with Lebanon based on mutual respect”, he added.

A Visit with Political Goals

According to sources who spoke to Asharq al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, the Iranian diplomat’s visit has political goals as it coincides with a new round of US-Iran nuclear talks that reports say still faces hurdles amid Tehran’s insistence that they are strictly for peaceful purposes.

The visit was not coordinated in advance with the Lebanese state but came at the Iranian minister’s request, the source added, noting that Araghchi seeks to meet senior Lebanese officials to discuss matters of key importance for his country.