Iran's military attache to Damascus told Iranian media on Tuesday (August 28th) that the country's military advisers would remain in Syria under a defence agreement signed this week, AFP reported.
"The continued presence of Iran's advisers in Syria is one of the areas covered in the defensive-technical agreement between Tehran and Damascus," said Brig. Gen. Abolghasem Alinejad, according to the Fars and Tabnak news agencies.
It was announced on Monday that an agreement on security co-operation had been signed during a two-day visit by Iran's Defence Minister Amar Hatami to Damascus.
"Support for Syria's territorial integrity and the independence of Syrian sovereignty were also emphasised in the agreement," Alinejad said.
Tehran has provided steady political, financial, and military backing to President Bashar al-Assad during the seven-year war.
With both Iran and Russia's post-war ambitions in Syria and their plan to consolidate their presence there, experts expect this to cause friction between the two countries as they both want the largest share of the post-war gains.
