Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Thursday to offer condolences following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi.
Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19 near the Azerbaijan border.
This meeting is the first between Assad and Khamenei since their last encounter in 2022, where both leaders called for stronger bilateral relations.
During the meeting, Assad and Khamenei reiterated the strength of their ties.
Assad, with crucial support from Iranian proxy militias and Russia, has managed to turn the tide in Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011.
Israel, which does not recognize Iran, has frequently attacked Iranian targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces, including Hezbollah, have supported Assad.
