Velayati: "An attack on Syria is considered attack on Iran and Iran's allies"

"... Iran considers any attack against Syria an attack on itself, an adviser to the Islamic Republic's supreme leader was quoted as saying Saturday, in a reiteration of a mutual self-defense pact between the two countries signed in 2005.Ali Akbar Velayati, an aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Syria plays a major role in the "resistance front" of anti-Israel states and militant groups.
"Syria plays a very key role in supporting, or God forbid destabilizing, the resistance front. For this same reason, attack on Syria is considered attack on Iran and Iran's allies," Velayati was quoted by the semiofficial Mehr news agency as saying.
The comments reflect Iran's commitment to prevent the possible collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting a bloody war with rebels...."