TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed his gratitude to Iran�s people and leadership for their unwavering supports for the war-stricken country and efforts to help resolve the five-year-old conflict.

In a meeting with Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran�s Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati in Damascus on Saturday, Assad exchanged views on a range of issues, including the latest developments in the Middle East and mutual cooperation between Tehran and Damascus in diverse areas.

�I am grateful to the Leader (of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei) and the Iranian nation and government for the support you provide for the Syrian nation and government,� Assad told Velayati, who is also a top adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei.

He also expressed optimism about Syria�s victory in the �unbalanced war� that terrorists and their supporters have waged on the Arab country.

Veleyati, for his part, commended the resistance of the Syrian nation against foreign-baked terrorism, describing such resistance as unprecedented in history.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.

According to a new report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country�s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.

By Tasnim News Agency