Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said on Wednesday that relations with Iran and its presence in Syria were non-negotiable.
Speaking with the Iranian-based Al Alamtelevision network, Assad added that he would not object to the establishment of a permanent Iranian military base within his country's borders if such a base is necessary.
The comments come as speculation has mounted in recent weeks regarding a possible Iranian pullout from Syria as Israel and Russia’s rhetoric on the matter has increasingly converged.
Russia declared two weeks ago that all non-Syrian forces operating on the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria frontier should be removed.
Last week, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Iranian forces were preparing to withdraw from southern Syria, pulling back away from the Israeli border.
According to the organization, Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces and Iranian-backed Shiite groups, including the Hezbollah terror organization, are preparing for a mass-withdrawal from the border area.
Israel has long demanded the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria and Russia's intervention in recent days has been interpreted as a win for Israel's diplomatic efforts.
Assad, however, told Al Alam that "there is nothing to prevent the existence of these bases as long as Iran is an ally, as is Russia." READ MORE
