The Alawites are forever indebted to the Shi'ite mullahs of Iran for protecting their precarious position of power in Syria, and they are more interested than ever in paying this debt. "Syrian nation calls Iranian President Ahmadinejad a 'hero,'" from the [1] Islamic Republic News Agency:

The Syrian nation has praised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as "a brave man and a hero," Syrian Minister of Information Mahdi Dakhlallah said here Sunday.

During a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, Dakhlallah assessed the outcome of President Ahmadinejad's recent visit to Syria as "successful."

He also praised the "kind" government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Yes, very kind. Just ask [2] this girl. Or [3] this one.