Iran has dismissed accusations of fueling the deadly violence raging in Syria’s Alawite strongholds, calling the claims “ridiculous” and “misleading.” The clashes, which erupted last Thursday, have left over 1,300 dead, including hundreds of civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The conflict pits Syria’s new security forces against remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, with pro-Assad loyalists battling to regain control. Assad, a long-time ally of Tehran, fled to Moscow in December after an Islamist-led rebel offensive seized Damascus.
Reports, including from Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, suggest that Iran and its regional allies are stoking the chaos, a claim Tehran fiercely rejects. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei insisted on Monday that Iran is not involved and condemned attacks on Syria’s minority communities.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, blamed the bloodshed on “foreign parties” seeking to reignite civil war. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed Tehran remains merely an “observer” of Syria’s unfolding crisis.
As the region teeters on deeper instability, one question looms: Is this the beginning of another brutal chapter in Syria’s fractured history, or will a new power dynamic finally emerge?
