Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Sunday as Syria launched a counterattack against a surprise assault by insurgents.

Iran, a key ally of President Bashar Assad, has pledged to help the government counter the surprise offensive.

The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the northwest and launched airstrikes Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo, as Iran pledged to help the government counter the surprise offensive.

Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, otherwise known as Bashar Assad’s lifeline in Syria, have bigger fish to fry at the moment.

Diminished support for the Syrian government from Iran, Hezbollah and Russia enabled opposition forces to take the initiative and seize new territory.