Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claims that the toppling of Syrian President Bashar Assad was a result of a plan by the United States and Israel, with involvement from a neighboring country, likely Turkey. Assad's overthrow is seen as a blow to the Iran-led 'Axis of Resistance' alliance. Iran spent billions of dollars supporting Assad during the war and deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria. Khamenei also stated that the Iran-led alliance would gain strength in the region despite pressure and opposition.