ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The commander of Iran’s air defense says that his country is ready to defend Syria’s airspace if called upon by Damascus. Brigadier General of the Iranian air force Farzad Ismaili said on Sunday that Iran opposes to foreign military intervention in Syria and “any presence there without the cooperation of the Syrian government will fail,” Brig. Gen Ismaili said this in light of recent reports that Turkey and Saudi Arabia are planning a joint air campaign inside Syria to help rebel groups against the advances of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. “Syria has a legitimate government and without working with it any presence there will only bring humiliation,” said the Iranian commander in an interview with Tasnim news agency. Iran is believed to have thousands of volunteer soldiers and official military advisors in Syria helping government forces on the ground as they are backed by Russian fighter jets.
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