Armed Terrorists Attack Iranian Consulate In Syria, Tehran Says

The Iranian consulate in Aleppo, Syria was attacked by "terrorist elements" on Saturday, according to the Iranian government. The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack and announced that all staff members are safe. The ministry also stated that Tehran plans to provide a "serious" response to the attack, both legally and internationally. The attack on the consulate occurred as a new jihadist assault on Aleppo was unfolding, led by the radical group Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. The HTS militants have reached the center of Aleppo city and control key neighborhoods. Moscow has condemned the attack on Syria's sovereignty and urged the Assad government to restore order as soon as possible, with Russian aircraft reportedly helping the Syrian Army. The Syrian Army was caught off guard in Aleppo, following years of war and devastating Western sanctions that have drained manpower and resources. The HTS jihadists are now threatening other parts of Syria, with the central city of Hama potentially next in their sights. The war appears to have returned to northern and central Syria with a vengeance, with Iran branding the new offensive as an "American-Zionist" plot. The proxy war in Syria pits the Shia axis against hardline Sunnis supported by extremist Gulf clerics and Western powers.