WANA (Dec 21) – Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, strongly condemned the “martyrdom” of Seyed Davood Betaraf, a local staff member of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, who was killed on Sunday, December 15, in a terrorist shooting incident.

 

The shooting targeted his vehicle in Damascus. In his statement, Baghaei extended his condolences to the family of the “martyr” and to the Iranian people, calling this act a heinous crime. He emphasized the need for the transitional Syrian government to identify and prosecute those responsible for this criminal act.

 

Baghaei also stated that Betaraf’s body was recovered and identified in the past few days and has been transferred to Iran. The spokesperson stressed that Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will pursue the matter through various diplomatic and international channels to ensure that justice is served.

 

As the security situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, recent developments have led to the rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) across large areas of the country.

 

HTS, which was formerly part of Jabhat al-Nusra and has ties to extremist groups such as al-Qaeda, has advanced significantly, taking control of key regions in Syria. The group has declared that its primary goal is to establish an Islamic state in the territories it controls.

 

The fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government and the increasing power of HTS have created a tense and volatile political and security environment in Syria.

 

The shift in power has intensified conflicts and drawn the country further into uncertainty, with severe implications for Syria’s future and the broader region.

 

In light of the changing dynamics in Syria, the reopening of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus remains contingent on improved security conditions. During a weekly press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei addressed questions about the timeline for reopening the embassy. He stated, “Reopening the embassy requires necessary preparations, the most important of which is ensuring the security of our staff and diplomats.”