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RFL/RE – A top Iranian security official has revealed that Iran and Russia are sharing a military base in Syria where they are coordinating their support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was quoted by Iranian news agencies on December 20 as saying there is “a shared base in Syria where Iran, with Russia’s help, does advisory work to help the Syrian army and the [pro-Assad] resistance forces.”
Shamkhani — Tehran’s senior coordinator for political, military, and security affairs with Syria and Russia — said Russia and Iran are working closely “to design the military aspect of the fight against terrorism.”
He said “the use of Iran’s air space” by Russia earlier in 2016 was part of the same framework of cooperation.
Shamkhani criticized a unanimously approved December 19 United Nations Security Council resolution that calls for the immediate deployment of UN monitors in eastern Aleppo.
France has said international monitors would help prevent “mass atrocities” by Syrian forces.
But Shamkhani said the deployment of UN monitors would allow “the intelligence elements of countries that support terrorism” to enter the city.
Based on reporting by ISNA, IRNA and AFP
Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
