In a joint statement, the command center for the three countries and allied groups including Hezbollah, said “we will respond to any aggression”.
The statement comes after a phone call to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who condemned “flagrant US aggression on Syria”. The cruise missile attack on a Syrian air base was in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack earlier last week.
The Iranian leader yesterday called for an impartial investigation into the chemical attack that reportedly killed at least 70 people in Syria’s lawless Idlib province, which is controlled by armed militant groups.
He warned that the American strikes in response risked escalating extremism in the region, reported Iranian state television.
During the phone call with Al-Assad, Rouhani said: “Allegations that Syria launched the chemical attack were just a pretext to disrupt the Syrian peace process”.
Syria’s state news agency SANA said Al-Assad thanked Rouhani for Iran’s support of Syria, and that the Syrian people and army were “determined to crush terrorism in every part of Syrian territory”.
In a speech on Sunday, Rouhani also criticised US-allied Gulf Arab states for endorsing the missile strike.
He said: “Unfortunately, there are countries in our own region which encourage America’s acts of aggression.” He warned: “Your turn will come too.”
Saudi Arabia hailed the strike as a “courageous decision” by President Donald Trump and a Saudi ally, the United Arab Emirates, declared they also supported the action.
Both countries are part of the US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria.
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