TEHRAN - Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami has said that Iran is determined to stand beside the Syrians after end of war in the country.

In a phone conversation with Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij, Hatami congratulated liberation of eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, IRNA reported on Sunday.

For his part, Freij said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran stood beside the Syrian people and government during volatile time to help the country defend its legal sovereignty.”

Freij added coordination between Iran and Syria guarantees peace, stability and security in the Middle East region. He also invited Hatami to visit Syria.

The Syrian army announced on Friday that it had succeeded in fully liberating Deir ez-Zor from terrorists, killing large numbers of Daesh militants, destroying their equipment and taking hold of weapon caches abandoned by terrorists as they fled.

NA/PA