Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad engaged in separate phone conversations on Saturday with leaders from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iraq to discuss developments in Syria, counterterrorism efforts, and regional stability, the Xinhua news agency reported.
During his call with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Assad reiterated Syria’s commitment to safeguarding its stability and territorial integrity.
He emphasized the country's resolve "in the face of all terrorists and their backers," said state news agency SANA.
The UAE President expressed his country's support for Syria, stating, "The UAE stands with the Syrian state and supports it in combating terrorism, extending its sovereignty, unifying its territories, and achieving stability," SANA reported.
In another conversation, Assad spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who highlighted the interconnected security of Iraq and Syria.
"Syria's security and stability are closely linked to Iraq's national security," al-Sudani said, as noted in a statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office.
The conversations follow the Syrian rebels’ significant rebel offensive in the western countryside of Aleppo.
On Wednesday, a coalition of rebel groups, including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched the first major attack on government-held areas in the region since 2016.
On Friday, rebels had managed to penetrate parts of Aleppo and, on Saturday, moved into the center of Aleppo.
According to Reuters, the rebels now control the city of Maraat al Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province.
In response, the Syrian government, with backing from Russia and Iran, initiated airstrikes and ground operations to push back the advancing rebel forces.
Syria's government refers to all those who oppose it as "terrorists", including both jihadist rebels as well as rebels considered by the West to be “moderate”.