Iran rejects 'ridiculous' Israeli claim on downing Iranian drone

Iran has rejected as "ridiculous" claims by the Israeli regime that it had intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria, stressing the Islamic Republic's military advisory presence in the Arab country is at the request of Syria’s "constitutional and legitimate" government.

"Claims about the flight of an Iranian drone … are too ridiculous to be addressed because the Islamic Republic of Iran has advisory presence in Syria at the request of the country's legitimate and constitutional government," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday, Press TV reported.

"The government and army of Syria as an independent country have a legitimate right to defend [the country's] territorial integrity and counter any type of foreign aggression," he added.

The Iranian spokesperson emphasized that the "illegitimate" Israeli regime cannot cover up its atrocities and crimes against Muslim nations in the region by playing a blame game and spreading lies.

Meanwhile, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on international affairs said the resilient Syrian people will never tolerate the Israeli regime's aggression.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Ali Akbar Velayati added that the Syrian government and nation have proved that they would sacrifice themselves to "safeguard their country's territorial integrity, security and independence."

He noted that the Syrian people have managed to achieve victory in an "international war", in which more than 80 countries participated to dispatch terrorists to the Arab country.

The Syrian military on Saturday hit at least one intruding Israeli F-16 warplane that attacked positions inside the Syrian territory, sending it down in flames and smoke.

SS