Tehran has evidence that the events that took place in Syria leading to the ousting of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad were planned by the United States and Israel, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.
"There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the result of a joint American and Zionist plan." Khamenei reportedly noted.
"Yes, the neighboring country of Syria has played a clear role in this matter and continues to do so—this is evident to all—but the primary conspirator, the main planner, and the central command room are in the United States and the Zionist regime. We have evidence. This evidence leaves no room for doubt." the ayatollah continued.
Khamenei added that "resistance" would extend across the whole of the Middle East more that it has ever before.
"This is resistance. This is the front of resistance: the more pressure is applied, the stronger it becomes. The more atrocities are committed, the more motivated it becomes. The more it is fought, the more it expands. And I tell you that with the power of God, the scope of resistance will encompass the entire region more than before."
'Iran is strong'
Khamenei went on to criticize observers who associated the weakening of Iran's regional proxies and allies with the weakening of the Islamic Republic itself.
"That ignorant analyst, unaware of the meaning of resistance, imagines that if resistance weakens, Islamic Iran will also weaken," the Iranian autocrat reportedly said. "And I say, with the help and strength of God, by His permission, Iran is strong, powerful, and will become even more powerful."
Iranian intelligence had warned the Syrian government about threats to its stability over the last three months, Khamenei claimed, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, adding that the supreme leader said Damascus had "neglected the enemy."