BEIRUT, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin said the U.S. presence in the region is illegitimate and should end immediately, a local media outlet reported Friday.
"America is occupying Iraq and its presence there does not have any strategic benefit. The presence of the U.S. forces in Syria is also illegal and they should leave," Zasypkin was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.
"We are trying to find solutions to the problems in the region but the U.S. attempts to continuously put obstacles in our way," he added.
The Russian ambassador also slammed the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani, head of Iraq's elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Iraq's capital Baghdad.
"Soleimani was ... one of a kind ... We have worked with him in our fight against terrorism. His assassination is very painful for us," Zasypkin said.
