Iran’s Foreign Minister has attributed the fall of the government of President Bashar al-Assad to the inability of the Syrian military to confront armed groups that took over many areas, including the capital Damascus in a lightning offensive.

According to The Iran Project, Everything was clear in my opinion, both the analyses and the news coming from Syria about the offensive, Abbas Araqchi said in a live interview on state television on Sunday night regarding the recent developments in the region, adding that it was the Syrian army's duty to counter anti-government groups.

We also knew that there always existed a behind-the-scenes plot by the United States and the Zionist regime to cause the axis of resistance to suffer one after another, he noted. 

Araghchi said that Iran’s security and intelligence apparatuses were fully aware of the acts of the armed groups in Idlib and other areas and all relevant information had been transferred to the Syrian government and army. "If the Syrian army had resisted, even Aleppo would not have fallen".

The crisis in Syria was a bit natural following the developments in Gaza and Lebanon, the top Iranian diplomat said, adding that: "What was surprising was the inability of the Syrian army to confront the movement of the armed groups, and the second was the speed of the movements. 

Referring to his recent meeting with the toppled Syrian president, Araghchi revealed that even Assad was surprised and complaining about the state of his own army.