Syria rejects Iranian withdrawal demand

MOSCOW -- Syria dismissed American calls Wednesday for the withdrawal of Iranian troops and Lebanese Hezbollah militants from the war-torn country.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad told Russia's Sputnik news agency "this topic is not even on the agenda of discussion, since it concerns the sovereignty of Syria."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a list of demands this week for a new nuclear deal with Iran, including the pullout of its forces from Syria, where they have supported President Bashar Assad's government. Russia is also a key ally of Assad, and has been waging an air campaign in Syria since 2015.

Mikdad said in Wednesday's remarks Syria "highly appreciates" Russia's military support as well as "advisers" from Iran and Hezbollah. He added "we cannot let anyone even raise this issue" of the Iranian withdrawal.

"Those who ask for something like that -- and this is definitely not our Russian friends -- are considering the possibility of intervention in all parts of Syria, including the support of terrorists in Syria and elsewhere in the region," Mikdad said.

At a meeting with Assad, who visited Sochi last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted a political settlement in Syria should encourage foreign countries to withdraw their troops.

Putin's envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, later commented the Russian leader's statement was aimed at the United States and Turkey, along with Iran and Hezbollah. It marked a rare instance in which Moscow suggested Iran should not maintain a permanent military presence in the country.

Russia has argued its troops have deployed at the Syrian government's invitation, while the military presence of the U.S. and others has been illegal.

Lavrentyev's statement appeared to reflect a difficult balancing act for the Kremlin, which hopes to maintain good relations with both Iran and Israel. Israel has warned it will not accept a permanent Iranian military presence in Syria, and Israel struck a number of Iranian targets there earlier this month after what it said was a cross-border Iranian missile attack.