TEHRAN - Syrian army chief of staff Lieutenant General Ali Abdullah Ayoub said on Wednesday that Tehran and Damascus have “strategic” relations.

“Syria and the Islamic Republic of Iran have common views on many areas especially in fight against terrorism and agree on fighting terrorism to eradicate it from the whole lands of Syria,” General Ayoub said during a joint press conference with Major General Mohammad Baqeri, head of the Iranian armed forces, in Damascus.

Ayoub also said the complete annihilation of the terrorist groups is close.

He also said that Turkish military presence in Syria is contrary to international law.

Iran’s military chief says the Zionist regime of Israel’s aggressions against Syria is “unacceptable”.

Baqeri also said that Iran stands beside the Syrian government and people in countering terrorists.

He also said that Iran considers respect to territorial integrity of the countries in the Middle East region as a “principle”.

The top Iranian military official said a requirement to protect the “national sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the regional countries is that minorities and groups raise their demands “through negotiation”.

He added any military operation in another country should be based on request and respect to territorial integrity, he explained.

Elsewhere, he said that the Zionist regime of Israel’s  aggressions against Syria whenever it likes is “unacceptable”.

NA/PA