Iran: Only Syrian people can decide Syria’s fate without foreign meddling

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday following the fall of the Syrian government after militant groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed and captured the capital Damascus.

The statement again reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s principled stance on respecting Syria’s unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“In order to achieve this important [issue], it is necessary to end military conflicts as soon as possible, prevent terrorist acts, and initiate national dialogue with the participation of all segments of the Syrian society to form an inclusive government that represents all Syrian people,” it said.

It emphasized that Iran supports international mechanisms based on United Nations Resolution 2254 to pursue the political process in Syria, as it has in the past.

The ministry added that Iran will continue its constructive interaction with the UN in this regard.

The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule over the Arab country after the militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed and captured the capital Damascus.

In a statement on Sunday morning, the HTS militants declared that they had captured the capital, confirming reports of the fall of the Assad government.

Earlier in the day, Reuters quoted an unnamed officer as saying that the Syrian army command notified officers that the Assad government had fallen.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali expressed the government’s readiness to “extend its hand” to the militants and hand over its functions to a transitional government.

“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” he said in a video statement.

He also noted that he would go to his office to continue work in the morning, calling on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.

Foreign-backed militants, led by the HTS, waged a surprise two-pronged attack on Syria’s Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib on November 27.

Soon afterward, they captured several Syrian cities, including Hama, Homs, Dara’a, Suwayda, and Damascus.