Syrian Army retreated very quickly, Iran FM says

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday night that the Syrian Army made quick retreats in the face of offensives by militants from the Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).

Araghchi visited Doha on Sunday for talks with his Russian and Turkish counterparts on the Syrian conflict. Concurrently, Qatar was hosting the Doha Forum that was attended by foreign ministers from other countries, including Saudi Arabia. 

“The main question of the countries who were present in Qatar was ‘why did the Syrian Army retreat so quickly.’ Their resistance was short,” Araghchi told a special TV program. He added, “The pace of developments had surprised all.”

The chief diplomat said, “In my view the Syrian Army lost to the psychological war rather than an real war on the battlefield.”

Araghchi also said in the meetings he had with President Beshar Assad in Damascus on December 1, the Syrian leader was surprised with the poor performance of the Army and complained about it.

President Assad left the country on Sunday morning after the HTS militant entered the capital Damascus. On Sunday evening, the Kremlin announced Russia had given amnesty to Assad and he and his family were in Moscow.