Iranian official deplores assassination of Syrian cleric by terrorists

An Iranian official strongly condemned the assassination of a pro-Assad Syrian cleric by foreign-backed militants in the city of Aleppo.On Saturday, the Syrian armed rebels of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front decapitated Aleppo mosque's cleric Sheikh Hasan Saif al-Deen before dragging his lifeless body on the city's streets.Iranian foreign ministry's Director General for Middle East and North Africa Affairs Reza Ameri regretted and condemned assassination of Sheikh Saif al-Deen, saying that the sponsors of the brutal carnage of defenseless Syrians must expect a strong response from the Syrian nation.He also stressed the need for effective measures to immediately stop the cruel massacre of Syrians by terrorist groups.Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.In October 2011, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of increasing unrests in Syria.