Ahmadinejad's advisor: Israel fabricated 'Syria deal'

"The Israeli regime resorted to fabricating stories against Iran as a means to survive," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's senior advisor said in response to recent reports of a secret arms deal with Syria allegedly made in return for an agreement that Damascus would not hold peace talks with Israel.

Our reply for them is that they cannot survive through propaganda against Iran," the president's senior advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi said in an interview to Iranian news agency IRNA on Sunday.

Hashemi, who is also deputy interior minister, criticized western countries for their support of Israel and urged the west to "avoid interrelating its dignity with practices of the Zionists."

The advisor added that Israel's downfall was near, and that this meant the western democracy was also declining.

IRNA also published a report following President Ahmadinejad's recent visit to Syria, saying that many achievements were reached in the short visit of just a few hours.

"Beyond the main meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, the most important meeting was with Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hizbullah, which was held adjacent to the anniversary of the Second Lebanon War.

"For the first time since the war the two met and renewed their alliance...The fact that this meeting was held in Damascus testifies to Syria's partnership in this alliance," the report said.

The report said that this meeting proved there was no truth to rumors that Iran and Syria would be willing to sacrifice Hizbullah in order to promote their own interests.

"Ahmadinejad's meeting with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal sent the message of continued Iranian support of the Palestinians' armed struggle and the need to maintain national Palestinian unity."

The report ended by saying, "There is no doubt that the Iranian President's short visit to Syria is

considered a boost of encouragement for the strategic alliance between the two countries and the strategic alliance with the Palestinian and Lebanese organizations, something that the Israelis and the Americans should take very seriously and avoid making stupid moves."