Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in the Syrian capital Damascus on December 1, 2024.

Damascus, December 1 (RHC)-- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus to reaffirm Tehran’s firm support for Damascus amid a surprise offensive by foreign-backed Takfiri terrorist groups in the Arab country.

Heading a delegation, Araghchi arrived in Damascus on Sunday to deliver Tehran’s message to the Syrian government.  Speaking to reporters before his departure, the Iranian foreign minister said, “Today I am leaving for Damascus to convey the Islamic Republic's message to the Syrian government. We firmly support the Syrian army and government.”

He added that Iran makes no distinction between the Israeli regime and the Takfiri terrorists.  “We believe that following the Israeli regime’s failures, the enemy is trying to implement its sinister goals of spreading insecurity in the region via these same terrorist groups,” the top Iranian diplomat emphasized.

Araghchi said the Syrian army, like in the past, will achieve a victory in the face of these terrorist groups.

Earlier on Sunday, the Iranian foreign minister said foreign-backed Takfiri terrorist groups are doomed to failure in the face of resistance forces defending the region.  He added that West Asia is witnessing new conspiracies every day, and today it is the presence of Takfiri terrorist groups that are moving in the same direction with the US and Israel.

During his stay in Damascus, the Iranian foreign minister plans to hold talks with Syrian authorities on bilateral relations and regional developments.

The resurgence of terrorists in Syria and ways to battle them, anti-terror fight and support for the Syrian government and nation as well as peace and stability in the country are among key topics of the talks.

In a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, Araghchi said the resurgence of Takfiri terrorism in northern Syria is part of an American-Israeli project that aims to spread insecurity in the West Asia region.

He added that Iran, Russia and regional countries, particularly Syria’s neighboring states, must maintain vigilance and improve coordination to “thwart this dangerous plot and counter terrorists’ measures in Syria.”

Terror outfits led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied terrorist factions launched on Friday their largest assault in Syria in years and took control of parts of the country's second-biggest city, Aleppo, and advanced southward toward the city of Hama.

However, the Syrian army announced later that it thwarted the large-scale terrorist operations through a preemptive strike.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011, with Western countries and their regional allies aiding terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the Arab country.

The new terrorist assault led the Syrian army to target the positions held by the militants, with President Basher al-Assad vowing to defend the country's stability and territorial integrity.

HTS is known to have allied with the Israeli regime in its efforts to target Syria’s counterterrorism push.