5th batch of Iran's humanitarian aid arrives in Damascus: Embassy

Tehran, Feb 10 Iran's fifth batch of humanitarian aid arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus, said the Iranian embassy in Syria.

The delivered batch includes 45 tons of blankets, carpets, tents, and foodstuff, the embassy added in a post on its Twitter account on Thursday.

Iran has also sent rescue teams to the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Wednesday, Esmaeil Qa'ani, Commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, visited the quake-hit Syrian city of Aleppo and expressed sympathy and support for its people.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Monday called on other countries to pressure the US into lifting the sanctions on Syria and the siege of the country to enable the delivery of international aid to the quake-hit Syrian regions, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

The massive earthquakes on Monday and their aftershocks have so far killed more than 17,000 people in Turkey and Syria, injuring tens of thousands.