Putin Discussed Syria Situation with Iran's Pezeshkian by Phone, Says Kremlin

Smoke rises as a member of the rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen, Aleppo province, Syria November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Smoke rises as a member of the rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen, Aleppo province, Syria November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Putin Discussed Syria Situation with Iran's Pezeshkian by Phone, Says Kremlin

Smoke rises as a member of the rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen, Aleppo province, Syria November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Smoke rises as a member of the rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen, Aleppo province, Syria November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the escalating situation in Syria with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian by phone, the Kremlin said on Monday.

"The focus was on the escalating situation in the Syrian Arab Republic," the Kremlin statement said.

"Unconditional support was expressed for the actions of the legitimate authorities of Syria to restore constitutional order and to restore the political, economic and social stability of the Syrian state."

Pezeshkian said his country was ready for any cooperation with Russia to control the regional situation and help resolve the crisis in Syria, according to the Iranian government's website.

"We believe that the recent events are part of a dangerous plan by the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel) to disrupt the geopolitical landscape of the region in favor of Zionists, but this plan will fail thanks to the unity and cooperation of regional countries," Pezeshkian added.

Earlier, the Kremlin said Russia was continuing to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after his forces lost territory to opposition groups and would see what help was needed to stabilize the situation.

A statement from the Syrian Prime Minister's office on Monday said that Russian and Syrian aircraft were striking opposition-held positions in Aleppo's eastern countryside, killing and wounding dozens of fighters.

Russia, a staunch Assad ally, intervened militarily on his side against anti-government factions in 2015 in its biggest foray in the Middle East since the Soviet Union's collapse, and maintains an airbase and naval facility in Syria.

The Kremlin said on Friday it wanted the Syrian government to restore constitutional order as soon as possible and regarded the opposition attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.

Asked on Monday whether Russia planned to increase its support for Assad, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We continue to support Bashar Al-Assad. Contacts are continuing at the appropriate levels.

"We are analyzing the situation and a position will be formed on what is needed to stabilize the situation."

Russian military bloggers said on Sunday that Moscow has dismissed Sergei Kisel, the general in charge of its forces in Syria, and replaced him with Colonel General Alexander Chaiko.

There was no official confirmation from the Russian Defense Ministry of such a change.

Assad has vowed to crush the opposition fighters - a coalition of Türkiye-backed mainstream secular armed groups along with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The opposition seized control of all of Idlib province in recent days, the boldest assault for years in a civil war where front lines had largely been frozen since 2020.

They also swept into the city of Aleppo, east of Idlib, on Friday night, forcing the army to redeploy.



French Govt Faces Collapse after Opposition Says It Will Back No-Confidence Vote

Party leader of Rassemblement National (RN) Marine Le Pen (C) talks to journalists after the French National Assembly debate on parts of France's 2025 budget bill, in Paris, France, 02 December 2024. (EPA)
Party leader of Rassemblement National (RN) Marine Le Pen (C) talks to journalists after the French National Assembly debate on parts of France's 2025 budget bill, in Paris, France, 02 December 2024. (EPA)
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French Govt Faces Collapse after Opposition Says It Will Back No-Confidence Vote

Party leader of Rassemblement National (RN) Marine Le Pen (C) talks to journalists after the French National Assembly debate on parts of France's 2025 budget bill, in Paris, France, 02 December 2024. (EPA)
Party leader of Rassemblement National (RN) Marine Le Pen (C) talks to journalists after the French National Assembly debate on parts of France's 2025 budget bill, in Paris, France, 02 December 2024. (EPA)

The French government is all but certain to collapse later this week after far-right and left-wing parties said they will vote in favor of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

Investors immediately punished French stocks and bonds as the latest developments plunged the euro zone's second-biggest economy deeper into political crisis.

"The French have had enough," National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen told reporters in parliament, saying her party would put forward its own no-confidence motion and will also vote for any similar bill by other parties. The left will also propose a similar motion.

"Maybe (voters) thought with Michel Barnier things would get better, but it got even worse."

Barring a last-minute surprise, Barnier's fragile coalition will be the first French government to be forced out by a no-confidence vote since 1962.

A government collapse would leave a hole at the heart of Europe, with Germany also in election mode, weeks ahead of Donald Trump re-entering the White House.

RN lawmakers and the left combined would have enough votes to topple Barnier. They now have 24 hours to put forward their no-confidence motions.

Their comments came after Barnier said on Monday that he would try to ram a social security bill through parliament without a vote after a last-minute concession proved insufficient to win RN's support for the bill.

French stocks reversed course, while a sell-off in the euro gathered pace and bonds came under pressure, pushing up yields.

The CAC 40 was last down 0.6%, having risen by as much as 0.6% after Barnier's concessions. The euro fell 1% and was heading for its largest one-day drop since early November. The yield on French government 10-year debt was up 2.7 basis points to 2.923%, having traded at a session low of 2.861% earlier.

'CHAOS'

Mathilde Panot of the left-wing France Unbowed, said: "Faced with this umpteenth denial of democracy, we will censure the government ... We are living in political chaos because of Michel Barnier's government and Emmanuel Macron's presidency."

Barnier urged lawmakers not to back the no-confidence vote.

"We are at a moment of truth ... The French will not forgive us for putting the interests of individuals before the future of the country," he said as he put his government's fate in the hands of the divided parliament which was the result of an inconclusive snap election Macron called in June.

Since it was formed in September, Barnier's minority government has relied on RN support for its survival. The budget bill, which seeks to rein in France's spiraling public deficit through 60 billion euros ($63 billion) in tax hikes and spending cuts, snapped that tenuous link.

Barnier's entourage and Le Pen's camp each blamed the other and said they had done all they could to reach a deal and had been open to dialogue.

A source close to Barnier said the prime minister had made major concessions to Le Pen and that voting to bring down the government would mean losing those gains.

"Is she ready to sacrifice all the wins she got?" the source close to Barnier told Reuters.