Meddling worsens crises in Syria, Iraq: Iran official
A senior Iranian official says interference by certain Middle Eastern countries in the internal affairs of Syria and Iraq will further aggravate the crises gripping the two Arab countries.
“Regional states should not interfere in the internal affairs of Iraq and Syria and should help these countries’ governments so that they can eliminate the ominous phenomenon of terrorism. Otherwise, any kind of interference in these countries makes the situation more critical and grants more legitimacy to the ISIL and the crisis takes root,” Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said on Wednesday.
Many terrorist groups, currently operating in the Middle East, are a "cancerous tumor" that should be removed, but unwarranted meddling causes the tumor to further metastasize, Rezaei added.
He also expressed skepticism about the US genuine intention in its so-called coalition against ISIL, noting that Washington may be trying to take action against the Syrian and Iraqi governments.
Rezaei said the Americans are "performing a show" in their so-called fight on the Takfiri militants.
On Monday night, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement that US army and “partner nation forces are undertaking military action against ISIL terrorists in Syria using a mix of fighter, bomber and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles.”
According to reports, the United States and five Arab countries - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan - have carried out at least 200 airstrikes against the ISIL militants operating inside Syria. Some 12 civilians have so far been killed in the attacks which were carried out without approval of the United Nations. The Syrian government says the US had informed it of the strikes in advance.
The ISIL terrorists, of whom many are foreign militants, control large parts of Syria’s east and north. ISIL also sent its Takfiri militants into Iraq in June, seizing large swathes of land straddling the border between Syria and Iraq.