Iranian embassy in Damascus ransacked, Russian embassy on lockdown
Iran’s embassy in Damascus has been ransacked, with its items stolen by residents of the Syrian capital, according to a video on social media on December 8.
Iranian officials and military were removed from the country in the runup to former President Basher al-Assad reportedly leaving on December 7 by private jet to Abu Dhabi, bne IntelliNews’ reported earlier.
Footage shot by several people inside the building shows diplomatic documents and items including cigarettes and fridges being removed by locals, with reports later confirmed by Iran Front Page.
Video purportedly released by Iranian militias inside the Shrine of Zaynab inside Damascus showed dozens of Iranian uniformed officers bidding their farewells to the religious site.
Syrian opposition forces have now taken the entirety of the capital city, with the country’s former prime minister offering a transition arrangement.
Video from inside Syrian state television shows the opposition's green, white and black flag draped on the chair in the main news studio following an announcement broadcast by the rebels led by Hayat al-Sham.
Earlier on December 7, Iran’s former ambassador to Syria Hossein Akbari said that the diplomatic staff had not departed the country and talks were ongoing with the former Syrian regime.
A few hours earlier, Iran's Ambassador in Syria had rejected the evacuation of the embassy, saying Iranian "diplomats and forces" are at work.
"Some are raising these rumours to demoralise the Syrians and our comrades and to strengthen the morale of the armed opposition. Our forces in different locations across Syria are standing by the Syrian government, resisting and helping, and we hope that these efforts will bear fruit," he had said.
The Russian embassy in Damascus said on December 8 that there were no reports of Russian casualties in the current escalation of fighting in Syria while urging remaining Russian nationals to consider leaving the country amid deteriorating security conditions.
The call for an evacuation came as commercial air travel options became increasingly limited, with opposition forces having captured airfields around the Syrian capital and Damascus International Airport suspending operations, according to diplomatic sources.
"The embassy continues to function, maintaining its consular and diplomatic operations," a Russian embassy spokesperson told TASS news agency.
Iran and Russia stood by the government of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad during the civil war that began in 2011.
Iran's late Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Soleimani was Iran's top commander and a key figure in protecting the Assad regime, but he was killed during a mission in Baghdad in a drone strike by the United States in 2020 ordered by President Donald Trump.
Iranian officials expressed strong support for the Assad administration after opposition groups began advancing across the country in November 27.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi began diplomatic talks with his counterparts from Russia and Turkey, with which the two countries have long worked on a peace process named the Astana Process. Other regional countries also attended the talks. In unprecedented remarks, Araghchi later called for dialogue between the Assad government and the "legitimate opposition".
Iranian staff evacuate Syrian embassy: Spokesperson
Iranian diplomats in Damascus left the embassy before members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed it on Sunday, reports Tehran Times, citing Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei.
Baqaei stated on Sunday that Iranian diplomats at Tehran’s embassy in Damascus had evacuated the premises prior to an attack by militants early that morning.
He confirmed that all Iranian staff are safe and left the embassy before the attackers arrived.
Foreign-backed militants, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have ransacked the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus after the government of President Bashar al-Assad fell early Sunday.
Videos circulated online Sunday showed the militants tearing down the poster that depicted martyred Iranian anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani and Hezbollah chief Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, at the diplomatic mission’s exterior.
They also broke the windows of the embassy and looted its offices.
No comments:
Post a Comment