Syria's Defense Minister General Fahd al-Freij began a visit Tuesday to key ally Iran to discuss cooperation between the two countries' armies, Syria's official news agency SANA said.
The trip to Tehran comes after a series of recent military losses for President Bashar Assad's regime, which is battling an uprising that began more than four years ago.
During the two-day visit, Freij and his Iranian counterpart will discuss "strengthening coordination and cooperation between the two allied militaries particularly in tackling terrorism and common challenges in the region."
The Syrian government labels all those seeking Assad's overthrow "terrorists".
The Syrian conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but spiraled into a war after a regime crackdown.