Syria Awards Iranian Ambassador the Order of Merit – First Class

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has awarded the Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani the Order of Merit of the First Class, marking the end of his duties as ambassador of the Islamic Republic to Damascus, according to Fars News Agency.

The medal was granted to Ambassador Sheibani on Wednesday afternoon in recognition of his efforts as well as the comprehensive support provided by the  Islamic Republic of Iran to Syria in the war on terrorism.
Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani also met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem as part of his farewell meetings .
Syria’s foreign minister expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by the Iranian ambassador in the past five years, stressing that the solidarity and support provided from Iran to Syria were behind the steadfastness and resistance of the Syrian people. al-Moallem also confirmed that the bilateral relations that crystallized over the crisis have taken a strategic dimension and will be sustainable.

The current fighting in the Syrian civil war is being directed, fought, and funded by the Islamic republic of Iran. It employs the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) and Lebanese Hezbollah in the fighting, as well as other non-Syrian Shiite militias (essentially Iraqis). They were moved to Syria with Iranian funds. The Alawi-led (Alawi’s are a breakaway sect of Shiite Islam) Assad regime would not have survived without the direct intervention of the Iranian regime. Whereas prior to the March, 2011 civil war in Syria, Tehran and Damascus have had a mutually beneficial alliance, which has now become one where Iran is the dominant force in the territories still controlled by the Assad regime, according to Front Page Magazine.

Shiar Youssef, head of the Naame Shaam’s Research and Advocacy Team had this to say about the Iranian involvement, “There is sufficient evidence to try the military and political leadership of Iran for complicity in various crimes committed in Syria. This ranges from inciting, endorsing, and adopting specific criminal and terrorist acts to aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity.” Youssef added, “The Syrian regime is little more than a puppet in the hands of the Sepah Pasdaran (IRG), Qassem Soleimani is the de facto ruler of Iranian occupied Syria.”