Iran ‘s top general in Syria acknowledged they were “defeated very badly” with the collapse of the Assad regime, which represented a candid assessment divergent from other messages out of Tehran since the fall of the government.

We were defeated and defeated very badly, we took a very big blow, and it’s been very difficult,” Esbati noted.

The dramatic collapse of the Assad government should clear the way for desperately needed reforms to the U.S. sanctions regime.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents, and appealed on Europe to review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.