At an official meeting with Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Tuesday, President Bashar al-Assad said that the path of resistance is the utmost strategic choice and is the correct approach to counter hostility.

During their meeting, the two heads of State discussed several key issues, including the war on Gaza and the alarming necessity to end Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. 

"Resistance against the occupiers in all its forms will remain in place as the basic principle and strategic option and as the right way to confront the enemies," President Assad said in the meeting.

"Whenever the Zionist regime gets closer to defeat against the resistance, it increases the severity of its bloody crimes against the Palestinian nation," the Syrian president said.

"The relations between Iran and Syria will remain deep and strategic, because they are based on solid principles and common and honest interests," Bagheri Kani said, for his part.

Read more: Western leaders can no longer be taken seriously: Al-Assad

The Iranian envoy continues his regional tour with Syria being the next stop after his visit to Lebanon. Kani earlier said that enhancing cooperation among resistance factions to counter "Israel" is a key objective of his tour.

During a press briefing alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the Iranian diplomat attributed regional instability to "Israel," reaffirming that Iran and Syria stand as staunch allies and crucial elements for maintaining regional security and stability.

"Iran and Syria are proud to have cooperated for more than four decades and they know that the cause of instability in the region is the occupation and the Zionist regime," Bagheri said.

Bagheri Kani stressed the importance of preserving the strategic ties between the two nations and reaffirmed Iran's steadfast support for Syria in its battle against terrorism.

In response, Mekdad reiterated Syria's commitment to backing resistance factions across the region.

"During the visit of the martyred president of Iran (Ebrahim Raisi) to Syria, we reaffirmed strengthening the relations between the two countries," the top Syrian diplomat said.

"These relations are strategic. Therefore, we insist on deepening the relations between Iran and Syria, as well as connecting other Arab countries, and we have declared our readiness for this path to continue."

Read more: 'Israel' seeking way out of Gaza, cannot harm Lebanon, Iran says

Sayyed Khamenei praises Assad for upholding Syria's resistance legacy

On May 30, Iran's spiritual leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei praised the Syrian President for upholding Syria's enduring resistance-based identity.

Sayyed Khamenei attributed Resistance as Syria's esteemed identity, stressing that Syria's unique position in the region stems from this identity, which must be safeguarded.

The Iranian leader expressed gratitude to al-Assad for visiting Tehran to offer condolences to the Iranian people following the passing of President Raisi, highlighting the late Iranian president's influential role in enhancing relations between Iran and Syria.

He also acknowledged the significant contribution of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in strengthening the ties between Tehran and Damascus.

Furthermore, Sayyed Khamenei emphasized the importance of enhancing relations between Iran and Syria, considering them as pivotal components of the Axis of Resistance.

He highlighted that Syria's esteemed identity, rooted in resistance, was cultivated during the tenure of the late Hafez al-Assad and with the establishment of the Resistance Front. This identity, he noted, has consistently upheld Syria's national unity.