Larijani’s Special Mission in Damascus and Beirut

Though official reports have not disclosed mission of this veteran politician, the visit is certainly related to the ongoing regional developments, especially Gaza and Lebanon wars, and for coordination of the Resistance camp's branches to counter the Israeli aggression, and meanwhile the post of Larijani as the top advisor to the Leader doubles the significance of this visit.

At the beginning of his consultation schedule, Larijani visited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday and discussed with him the developments in the region, especially the intensification of the Israeli regime's actions and the continuous invasion of Palestine and Lebanon and the need to stop it. In this meeting, the bilateral relations between the two countries and the ways to strengthen them in order to secure the interests of the nations of the two countries and the people of the region were discussed.

Emphasizing Iran's support for Syria and readiness for all kinds of cooperation, Larijani emphasized the pivotal role of Damascus in the region and the need to strengthen this role in line with the interests of the countries of the region and its nations. Al-Assad for his part emphasized on commitment to the historical rights of the Palestinians and supporting the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples' resistance with all means, ending the killing, and preventing the genocide.

As the linking bridge of the Resistance camp's transit route from Tehran to Beirut, as well as its historical role in the developments of Palestine and the Arab world, Syria has a distinguished geopolitical position, and the logistical role of Syria can be decisive in the result of the current war in Lebanon, an issue motivating Israel to attack Syrian infrastructure, political missions, and military sites related to the resistance forces since the beginning of its aggression on Gaza and Lebanon. 

In the past few days, some Hebrew sources claimed that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu wrote a letter to al-Assad, threatening that if he does not cut off the route of the arms transfer from Syria to Lebanon, he will meet the fate of Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel two months ago. Israeli and American officials claim that Iran is sending weapons to Lebanon through Syrian territory and Hezbollah is targeting the occupied territories using them. Therefore, Larijani's trip to Damascus is a resolute message from Iran that the threat of assassination of al-Assad, as one of the leaders of the resistance, means igniting an unprecedented war that will not be limited to the occupied territories. 

Activation of Syria front? 

Over the past decade, Iran and Syria have confronted Israeli adventures in the region and now that Tel Aviv has crossed the red lines and knows nothing but language of force, Iran eyes activation of Syria front against Israel amid absence of clear prospects of halt of Israeli massacre machine. 

Currently, Israel is encircled from six fronts and a joint operation room has been formed by the resistance groups in the region, thus, the continuation of the Israeli warmongering will only increase the costs of this regime. Therefore, the visit of the advisor of the Leader to Syria and Lebanon is aimed at coordinating the positions of the three countries and preparing to respond to an enemy that seeks to broaden scope of war.

The Israeli regime is under direct pressure from two fronts, and according to the officials of this regime, they are not capable of fighting on different fronts, and in this situation, if the Syrian front, which shares common borders with the occupied territories, gets activated, the situation will become much more difficult for the hardliners in Tel Aviv. Therefore, Larijani's trip carries a message to the Tel Aviv and its Western supporters, telling them that the Axis of Resistance in the region is fully united and ready for different scenarios. Iran proved that it is ready to deal with any scenario in its two missile attacks on Israel, and if the occupation's hawkish policy continues, te Resistance camp will not sit on its hands and will respond when it is necessary. 

Following up Tehran-Damascus strategic plans 

Larijani's visit to Syria can be examined from another perspective, which is related to the strategic agreements between the two countries. Iran and Syria signed a bilateral strategic agreement in May 2023 during the visit to Syria of late Iranian President Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi. 

The important part of the agreement was the cooperation in the field of rail transport, where both sides agreed to connect Iran's railways to the Mediterranean Sea through Iraq, and if this strategic corridor is created, transfer of goods from Iran to Syria and Lebanon and then Europe will be done as fast as possible. This railway is very important for Syria, and since this country is under strict Western sanctions, it can meet some of its needs with the help of Iran and Iraq. Therefore, Iran is trying to implement bilateral agreements and increase the volume of trade between them as the current trade volume is not satisfactory to both sides. Boost of level of economic cooperation between Iran and Syria, especially in the transportation and energy sectors and the implementation of the agreements, promises a new chapter in the strategic relations between the two countries, and with the completion of these projects, many problems of the Syrian people will be solved.

As it supported legal government of Syria in the face of terrorism, now the Islamic Republic of Iran is trying to help Syria reconstruct its economic infrastructure largely damaged during terrorism war. Having in mind that Trump has won the presidential election in the US and his cabinet is totally against the Axis of Resistance and in favor of Tel Aviv, Tehran and Damascus feel the need to deepen trade ties more than before. Having paid a high cost for Syria to re-embrace its security, Iran and Syria will not allow the US and Israel to destabilize Syria again and realize their evil plans, and meanwhile powerful Iranian presence in Syrian economy beside security cooperation can neutralize the American plots. 

Message of Iranian support to Lebanon

After Syria, the senior adviser to the Leader went to Lebanon on Friday in another part of his mission, where he also met and talked with the country's top political officials.

In his talks with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Larijani reiterated Iran's standing by the Lebanese government, army and resistance in confronting the Israeli aggression. Reports say Larijani was carrying an important message to the Lebanese officials, which he conveyed to Mikati. 

Larijani gave an interview to Al-Mayadeen news channel in Beirut and said that he carried a message for al-Assad and Berri, clarifying to Al-Mayadeen that the message was from the Leader. 

Stating that his presence in Syria and Lebanon was to voice continued support to these two countries and their resistance, Larijani added: "Earlier, the foreign minister of the United States was very much looking for a new Middle East, but in the end, the Americans fled after spending a lot of money, and now Netanyahu is relying on this America, but what is important in drawing the new Middle East is the battlefield." 

The Iranian supports have always been a source of assurance for resistance forces in the region and now that the Israelis have pushed the tensions to a boiling point, Iran's supports play a key role in morale uplift of the Lebanese government and resistance in the face of the Israeli aggression. 

The commander of IRGC's Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani who had an active role in the command center of Lebanese resistance during the Israeli 33-day war of 2006 said that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah fighters had "special attention" to the messages of the Leader. 

Later, Nasrallah confirmed these words of the top Iranian general, saying: "We were very happy that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution spoke with confidence of our victory, while the whole world was wondering how could Hezbollah be able to fight America, Europe, the West and other Arab countries that support the Zionist regime in this war. The Leader of the revolution said that we will win this war and we should remain steadfast and keep out trust in God. This was a very important prediction by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and more importantly, he said that after winning this war, we will become a regional power that no other power in the region will be able to confront us or win over us."

While now a considerable number of the Lebanese have left their homes to other parts of the country and to Syria and Iraq amid blind Israeli bombardment, the US is striving to impose Israeli conditions on Lebanon through pressuring Lebanese officials for a ceasefire deal. So, by reiterating its support to Hezbollah and the Lebanese, Tehran wants to give assurance to Beirut to make sure the Lebanese will not go under any pro-Israeli deal.