Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday asserted that Israel and the United States are “completely mistaken” in thinking that the Iran-backed “axis of resistance” collapsed following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria.

In a televised speech, Khamenei said: “With the developments in Syria, the crimes committed by the Zionist entity, the crimes committed by America, and the assistance provided by some to them, they thought the resistance had ended … They are completely mistaken.”

On 8 December, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad fled the country after armed opposition factions entered the capital, Damascus.

Since Al-Assad’s fall, Iran has sought to distance itself from the ousted president, emphasising the historic ties between Tehran and Damascus.

Khamenei stressed that Al-Assad’s ousting would not weaken Iran.

“The Zionist entity imagines it can encircle and eliminate Hezbollah forces through Syria, but the one to be eliminated will be Israel.”

Israel has long claimed that Lebanon’s Hezbollah receives weapons and other vital support through Syria from Iran.