Iran denies presence of its troops in Syria

Iran's Foreign Ministry denied reports that there are Iranian soldiers in Syria from an elite military unit - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Iranian Arabic-language TV channel "Al-Alam".

The representative of an elite corps, Commander General Mohammad Ali Jafari said on the eve that there are Iranian troops in Syria. He noted that members of the Revolutionary Guards present in the country are in an advisory capacity, providing "non-military assistance."

The official representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ramin Mehmanparast said that the general's words were taken out of context by some media.

"Iran's military is not in the region and even more so - not in Syria," Mehmanparast said.