Bashar al-Assad’s supporters scramble to respond to sudden losses to Islamist insurgents in northern Syria
Middle East crisis – live updates
Iran’s top diplomat is expected to go to Damascus in a show of support to the Syrian regime as it attempts to repel the strongest challenge to its authority in years, after a sudden advance by Islamist insurgents in which it seized control of Aleppo.
The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told reporters he would travel on Sunday to Syria to convey the strength of Tehran’s backing for Bashar al-Assad and his rule. Araghchi is expected in the Turkish capital, Ankara, the following day, as Damascus’s allies and opponents scramble to adapt to Assad’s sudden losses in northern Syria.