Iran’s defense minister visits Syria

ANKARA

Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami arrived in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Sunday for an official visit, according to the Iranian television.

He was welcomed by a host of Iranian and Syrian politicians and military officials upon arrival at the Damascus International Airport.

Hatami is scheduled to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Defense Minister Ali Abdullah Ayyoub during the visit.

No details were available about the agenda of the talks or the duration of the defense minister’s visit to Syria.

Iran and Shia group Hezbollah are strong allies of the Assad regime, whose forces have been fighting opposition groups in a deadly civil war since 2011.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.