The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force says the West's hostility towards the Syrian government is over Israel.

A state television report broadcast Saturday quoted General Ghassem Soleimani as saying his country's support of Syria secures "Iran's real national interests." Iran considers Syria and Lebanon's Hizbullah — as well as Palestinian militant groups — as part of a "resistance axis" against Israel.

Soleimani said the West knows that a "powerful position of resistance relies on Syria." Last week, Soleimani promised that Iran would support Syria "until the end."

Soleimani's Quds Force oversees the international operations of the Revolutionary Guard.

Iran unwaveringly has supported the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. It considers the Syrian civil war as a crisis instigated by Israel, the West and others.

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