Iran train
© UnknownIranian train
Syria, Iran and Iraq plan to hold a trilateral meeting on the connection of their rail systems, media reported quoting a source at the Syrian Ministry of Transport.

"Our countries are now working on the resumption of the project that connects the railways of Syria, Iran and Iraq and are determining the date of the meeting between the representatives of the countries to develop the plans," a source told al-Watan newspaper on Saturday.

The goal of the project, launched before the start of the crisis in Syria in 2011, is to secure access to Syrian ports for Baghdad and Tehran, the source told the newspaper.

Before the start of the crisis, Syria reached 97% of the project, however, during the war most of the railroads were destroyed.

Syria has been in a state of war since 2011, with government forces battling various opposition groups and terrorist organizations. At the end of 2017, the victory over the terrorist group Daesh [ISIS] was declared in Syria and Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a military source, that the Israeli Air Force conducted an air strike from Lebanese airspace against one of the Syrian military targets on Friday night to Saturday.

It is noteworthy that the attacks were carried out by Israeli aviation at around 2:30 am local time from Lebanese airspace. As a result of the attack, three Syrian soldiers were injured and several buildings were also destroyed.

Syrian air defense immediately repelled the attack and knocked down several missiles before reaching the targets.

So far, the Israeli Defense Forces have not commented on its involvement in the incident.
Israel's Defense Forces repeatedly attack targets in Syria. Iranian authorities explain this by the need to prevent Iran's attempts to establish itself militarily on Syrian territory.

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the Israeli air strikes are illegitimate and unfounded.
About the Author:
Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.