Iran's Zarif in Syria for talks ahead of Idlib offensive

Iran's Foreign Minister met his Syrian counterpart in Damascus on Monday in a surprise visit ahead of a looming offensive against the country's last rebel stronghold. Mohammad Javad Zarif's trip to the Iranian ally also comes just days before a top-level tripartite meeting in Tehran to discuss the Syrian conflict, now in its eighth year.

On Monday, he met Syria's chief diplomat Walid Muallem, according to a statement published by the foreign ministry in Damascus. "They shared identical views on the importance of strengthening bilateral coordination and political discussions in the coming phase," it said. It said the pair discussed political and military developments "in preparation for the tripartite summit for guarantors of the Astana process."

Since early 2017, Iran, fellow regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey have sponsored a negotiations track based in the Kazakh capital to tamp down hostilities in Syria. The presidents of the three countries are due to meet in Tehran on Friday to discuss the conflict.

Last year, they had designated Idlib province in the northwest as a "de-escalation" zone where violence would halt in preparation for a countrywide ceasefire. But Syrian government forces are now massing around the province, which has become the last rebel bastion in the country.

Idlib is held by a complex array of rebels and jihadists, many of whom have been blacklisted as "terrorists" by world powers.

Russia and Iran have insisted that jihadist groups in Idlib must be defeated and are expected to back regime forces in any assault.

"Iran will remain a supporter of the Syrian government in its efforts to remove terrorists from its land, and it will continue its advisory role and help the Syrian government in the upcoming Idlib campaign," Iran foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.

Zarif was also due to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to semi-official news agency ISNA.

Tehran has provided steady political, financial and military backing to Assad throughout the war, which has left over 350,000 people dead since it broke out in 2011. Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami was in Damascus last week and signed a "defence and technical agreement" designed to ensure the continued "presence and participation" of Iran in Syria.    (AFP)