Iran signs deal to bolster Syria's air defences

Iran's military chief on Friday signed an agreement with Syria's president to reinforce Syria's air defence systems as part of a military cooperation agreement between the countries, according to footage from Iranian state TV.

General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, met with Syria President Bashar Assad during his second visit to Syria since 2019.

Assad said the agreement signed by both sides is the result of "years of cooperation for confronting terrorism" in Syria.

Bagheri said it "will improve the determination of the two nations to confront US pressures" but didn't further elaborate.

US ally Israel has occasionally attacked Iranian forces in Syria that Iran says are there to support Syria's fight against rebel groups as part of the country's 9-year civil war.

Israel views Iranian entrenchment on its northern frontier as a red line, and it has repeatedly struck Iranian-linked facilities and weapons convoys destined for the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a brief video aired on Iranian state TV, Assad was seen receiving Bagheri and his delegation.