Arab League calls on Iran to stop fueling strife in Syria after Assad's ouster

The Arab League regional bloc called on Iran on Thursday not to fuel “strife” in Syria, after the ouster of Tehran ally president Bashar al-Assad ended decades of rule by his clan.

Assad’s government crumbled on December 8 and he fled for Russia, another key backer of his rule, after an coalition of fighters wrested control of city after city until they reached Damascus.

With Assad’s fall, Iran lost a key ally in the region, just as its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah emerged massively weakened but not crushed from a year of war with Israel.

The Arab League, which last year welcomed back Assad after a decade of isolation, emphasised the need to “respect Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability, to restrict weapons to the hands of the state, dissolve all armed formations and reject all destabilising foreign interventions”.

Syria’s new authorities on Thursday launched an operation in a stronghold of Assad, after deadly clashes pitting their fighters against gunmen affiliated with the former government.

The Arab League said it was “following with concern the events taking place in several Syrian cities and areas with the aim of igniting the sparks of conflict.”

It also said it “rejects the Iranian statements aimed at fuelling strife among the Syrian people”, according to a statement from the secretariat.

It did not specify which statements it was referring to.

On Sunday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted “the emergence of a strong, honourable group” in Syria following the ouster of Assad, saying the country’s young men had “nothing to lose”.

Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei lashed out on Thursday against unspecified media reports on Iran “interfering in Syria’s internal affairs” as “baseless”.

Iran was committed to “supporting the territorial integrity and national unity of Syria and the formation of an inclusive political system,” he said in a statement.

Syria’s new leaders have criticised Iran over its role in Syria over the years.

“Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and the sovereignty and safety of its country,” Syria’s new foreign minister wrote on social media site X on Tuesday.

“We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria and hold them responsible for the consequences of their recent statements,” he added.