Khamenei: Assad’s Fall Will Not Undermine Iran’s Strength

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated on Wednesday that the weakening of the anti-Israel “resistance” following the potential ousting of Bashar al-Assad in Syria would not diminish Tehran’s power. In his first speech since Assad’s fall, Khamenei emphasized that some “unaware of the meaning of resistance” might think that if the resistance weakens, Iran would also weaken. However, he declared, “Iran is strong and powerful and will become even more powerful.”

Assad’s regime, once an ally of Tehran, was toppled after Syrian rebels made a swift push towards Damascus, ending decades of Assad family rule. Assad had been a key figure in Iran’s anti-Israel “axis of resistance,” particularly in facilitating arms supplies to Hezbollah in Lebanon. This axis includes Hezbollah, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and smaller Shia militias in Iraq, all united in their opposition to Israel and its ally, the United States.

Khamenei accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating a plot to weaken Assad. “No one should doubt that what has taken place in Syria is the product of a joint US-Israeli plot,” he said. He also referenced a “neighboring state of Syria” for playing an “obvious role” in the developments but did not specify which country. Turkey, a neighbor of Syria, has long supported the ousting of Assad.

According to Khamenei, various foreign forces in Syria are pursuing different objectives. “Some of them are seeking to seize lands in northern or southern Syria, while America is trying to strengthen its position in the region,” he said. Turkey’s military presence is concentrated in northern Syria, while in the south, Israeli forces have entered a UN-patrolled buffer zone near the Golan Heights, and the U.S. has troops in Syria working with Kurdish fighters against ISIS.

Khamenei acknowledged Iran’s advisory role in Syria and expressed regret that Assad’s military had struggled. He suggested that Syria could have been helped if internal motivations in the country had remained consistent throughout the war.