Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has rejected Israel’s demand to cut its ties with Tehran, calling Iran an old ally of his country.

He made the remarks in an interview with the Italian magazine L’Espresso published Friday.
He said that detaching his country from Iran and Hezbollah was irrelevant to reviving peace talks.
Israeli president Shimon Peres earlier claimed that the Golan Heights will be returned to Syria if Damascus cuts ties with Iran and Hezbollah.
“Assad prefers Lebanon and relations with Hezbollah to the Golan Heights. If they do not break their relations with Hezbollah and the Iranians, they can’t have the Golan,” Peres was quoted by the Israeli daily Maariv as saying in a confidential meeting.
It would be an absurd claim, al-Assad said, adding it would be as if Syria asked Israel to break its relations with the United States.
He said Syria will not cut ties with Iran as it is one of his country’s old allies.
(Source: Press TV)