Israel, US behind weakening of 'Axis of Resistance' in Syria, Iranian army chief says

The current situation in Syria has the purpose of weakening Syria and its allies in the Middle East's "Axis of Resistance," Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major-General Mohammad Bagheri, said on Tuesday, according to the Islamic Republic's news agency, IRNA. 

The "Axis of Resistance," also referred to as the "Axis of Evil," is comprised of nations including Iran and Syria, as well as terror organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, among others.

Bagheri reportedly claimed that Israel and the US had coordinated the rebels' movement in the area. 

The comments were made in phone calls with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Iraqi Major General Yahya Rasool, and Syrian Chief of Staff Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim, the report noted. 

The Islamic Republic has reiterated such comments since rebel factions entered Aleppo last week and captured the city. 

“The new movements of Takfiri-terrorist groups are part of the plot of the US and the illegitimate Zionist regime,” speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, wrote last week on X/Twitter. 

“After defeating the Zionist regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Axis of Resistance will support the Syrian government and people against the new conspiracy like in the past,” he added. 

'A broader scheme'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made similar claims, noting the advance into Aleppo was part of a “broader scheme by the Israeli regime and the United States to destabilize the West Asian region."

Led by Islamist Jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebels' takeover of Aleppo forced Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime to flee the city. On Tuesday, it was reported that the rebels had reached the vicinity of Hama. 

Seth J. Frantzman and Reuters contributed to this report.