Syrian rebels who occupied Damascus carried out an attack on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing local media. According to the agency, due to the recent events in Syria, the Iraqi authorities decided to evacuate their diplomatic staff.
On Friday, the New York Times reported that “due to the escalating conflict, the evacuation of the Iranian embassy in Damascus has been ordered.” However, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry firmly denied these reports on Saturday and assured that Iran's diplomatic mission in Syria was functioning normally, despite the resumption of military operations.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, media, including Reuters, reported that Syrian rebels had stormed the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The photos circulating on the Internet show broken windows, scattered documents and a devastated interior of the facility.
A video was also published on social media in which young men tear down a poster hanging in the Iranian embassy with images of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, killed by the US, and the leader of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, recently killed by Israel.
On Saturday, “NYT” reported that Iran – the closest ally of the Assad regime – has started the evacuation of military personnel from Syria. According to the New York daily, it was “a sign that Iran is unable to help keep President Bashar al-Assad in power in the face of the rebel offensive.”
Reuters also reported on Sunday that the Iraqi embassy in Syria was evacuated and its staff transferred to Lebanon. The reasons for this decision were not disclosed. The Russian embassy in Syria assured that everything was “fine” with its staff, wrote the Russian news agency TASS.
The regime of Bashar al-Assad, whose overthrow was announced by rebels on Sunday, was supported by Moscow and Tehran. The highly radicalized Syrian opposition, however, is supported mainly by Ankara.
PAP, Reuters, “New York Times”
Main photo source: HASAN BELAL/EPA/PAP