DAMASCUS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday hailed his government's main ally Iran as a major partner in the victories achieved against the terror groups in Syria, according to state news agency SANA.
The president made the remarks during his meeting Thursday with the visiting Iranian Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, who arrived in Syria a day earlier and held meetings with top Syrian officials.
During the meeting, Bagheri conveyed a message to Assad from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which the Iranian leader congratulated Assad on the recent victories achieved in the battles against the Islamic State (IS) group, according to SANA.
Assad stressed that eliminating terrorism in Syria deals a strong blow to the western schemes in the region, "which explains why some countries are still supporting the terrorists in Syria."
For his part, Bagheri said the aim of his visit is setting a joint strategy to boost the military cooperation in the coming stage following the victories recently made.
The Iranian official renewed pledges that his country will keep supporting Syria, including in the reconstruction process.
The Syrian government forces have recently made strides in the battle against IS in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where the army has controlled over 92 percent of the capital city of Deir al-Zour with the help of Iranian-backed fighters and Russian airstrikes.
