Walid Muallem
Walid MuallemReuters

Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem passed away on Sunday night, Reuters reported, citing state TV.

No details were provided on the cause of death, but the 79-year-old Muallem had for years been in poor health with heart problems, according to the report.

Muallem was first appointed foreign minister in 2006 and held the post of deputy prime minister as well.

After Syria erupted into civil war in 2011, Muallem accused Washington and the West of fueling the country’s unrest and labelled armed insurgents as “terrorists”.

In 2012, he accused Israel of being behind the ongoing unrest in his country, claiming the Jewish state plotted to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad.

He had in the past warned that Syria has sufficient capacities to respond to Israeli threats thanks to Russia providing the country with the S-300 air defense systems.