BICOM

Iran and Syria have signed a new agreement on military cooperation and reconstruction in Syria, Iranian media reported on Monday.

Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami said: “We hope to have a productive role in the reconstruction of Syria.” The Defence Minister told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen that Tehran will work to rebuild and rehabilitate Syria’s military industries as well as the Syrian armed forces.

Hatami arrived in Damascus on Sunday for a two-day visit, during which he conducted “detailed negotiations” with his counterpart Ali Abdullah Ayoub and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Tasnim news agency. The exact details of the agreement have not been published.

Hatami said Iran’s military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad Government and they have no immediate plans to withdraw. Arab media have tied Hatami’s visit to Syria with Syrian army preparations for a major attack on Idlib in the north of the country, one of the last rebel strongholds.

A senior Syrian official told Russian news agency Sputnik that Hatami’s visit was meant to send a message of enhanced cooperation in response to Israeli and US demands for Iranian forces to leave Syria. Last week, whilst on a three-day visit to Israel, US National Security Advisor John Bolton told Reuters that Russian President Vladimir Putin had told the US it was unlikely that Moscow could remove Iranian forces from Syria.

Iranian-backed militias have reportedly fought against Syrian army forces several times over the last two weeks with fatalities and casualties on both sides. The fighting took place in the eastern area of Al-Bukamal, next to the Al-Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq, which is considered a key strategic point in securing trade between Iraq and Syria – and indirectly, between Iran and the Mediterranean Sea. A high-ranking Iranian officer and fighters from the Iranian-backed Afghan Fatemiyoun Division, were among the fatalities. Local media are reporting that fighting resumed over the weekend, with the Iranians bringing reinforcements to the area.