Syrian opposition forces storm Iran's consulate in Aleppo

Syrian rebels stormed the Iranian consulate in Aleppo following their swift capture of Syria's second largest city, Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Saturday, after videos on social media showed armed fighters inside the building.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, issued a statement strongly condemning the intrusion at the consulate, emphasizing that "any violation of diplomatic premises by any individual, group, or government is unacceptable under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations."

He said the Consul General and all members of the Iranian consulate in Aleppo are safe and unharmed.

Shortly after the rebels stormed the Iranian consulate, Iran's foreign ministry announced that Abbas Araghchi, the country's top diplomat, will be visiting Damascus on Sunday and Ankara on Monday.

Turkey is known as a key supporter of Syrian rebels who have captured Aleppo over the past few days, and had given a green light to the offensive, opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence told Reuters.

Araghchi also had a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, during which they expressed their "decisive support for Syria's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the country's government and army" in countering the armed rebels, according to Tehran's readout of the call.

The capture of Aleppo by Syrian opposition forces, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has significantly impacted Iranian-backed troops and raised concerns about Tehran's long-term regional strategy.

Iranian officials have downplayed Aleppo's fall to anti-Assad forces, framing the loss as a minor setback while doubling down on their support for Bashar al-Assad.

However, Kayhan newspaper which is close to Ali Khamenei's office suggested on Saturday that several Iranian forces have been killed over the past days in Aleppo.

"In the past couple of days, during the war in Syria and Aleppo, several Iranians have been martyred. Therefore, the primary and ultimate target of this new conflict is Iran," Kayhan wrote in its article.

Tehran has not yet confirmed the death of any Iranians in Aleppo, except Kioumars Pourhashemi, a senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) who was killed in Aleppo during an attack by Islamist forces opposed to the Syrian government.

The fall of Aleppo comes after years of Iranian support for Assad’s military, including financial aid, weapons, and personnel from the IRGC and allied militias such as Hezbollah. These forces have propped up the Syrian regime in its efforts to reclaim territory since the civil war began in 2011. However, the latest rebel offensive has demonstrated the limits of Tehran’s capabilities that have weakened in recent months because of relentless Israel attacks against Hezbollah.