Iran reiterates support for Assad amid long running civil war

Iran on Sunday said it would keep up with its full support for the Syrian government amid the ongoing civil war that has gripped the country for almost five years.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to support the legitimate government of Syria under President Bashar al-Assad and this support is robust and explicit and it's our duty," Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said upon arrival in Damascus.

He noted that Iran and Syria enjoy very strong fraternal relations since the Islamic Revolution in Iran emerged victorious.

The senior Iranian official held separate meetings with President al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, before he made visits to two Shiite shrines in Damascus, wrapping up his brief Syria trip.

During the meeting, Assad asserted that "Syria and its friends" are determined to carry on with countering terrorism in all its forms, and this will constitute the basic step to establish stability in the region and the world.

Iran and Russia have emerged as the staunchest backers of President al-Assad's rule in Syria.

Russia has provided the Syrian army with an advanced air cover, while Iran and its allied Shiite fighters, like Hezbollah, have propped up the Syrian army with ground troops, which enabled the military forces in Syria to make notable achievements on several fronts recently.