Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, said that Iran would intervene in Yemen with Russian support, “along the lines of Russian cooperation with Iran in Syria and Iraq.”
“There is unprecedented cooperation between Iran and Russia. This cooperation will not be limited to Syria, as a patch of this cooperation can be seen in Iraq and Lebanon,” said and added that, “It will be extended to Yemen too.”
He defended Russian airstrikes in Syria that killed hundreds of civilians, insisting that airstrikes are vital for Assad to stay in power. He reiterated that Tehran and Moscow continue to support Assad and protect him from falling.
Velayati said that there is strong coordination among Assad forces, popular forces led by General Qasem Soleimani, and the Russian Air Force, admitting that they have not been as successful as expected in Syria despite this coordination.
He said forces from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other countries are fighting in Syria under the command of Soleimani, he said.
Talking about his Moscow visit earlier this month, Velayati said that an alliance among Iran, Russia, Syria and Hezbollah will be formed soon and the outline specifications of establishing a joint alliance has already been prepared.
