TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin welcomed the “Syrian Army’s victory against the terrorists in Aleppo” during a late-night phone call, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

“The Syrian Army’s victory sends a message that the terrorists cannot achieve their objectives. We must stop terrorists using the cease-fire to rebuild their forces and create new bases in other regions of Syria,” Rouhani said following the call on Saturday night, according to a statement published by state media.

Putin also welcomed the defeat of fighters in Syria’s second city and said cooperation between Tehran and Moscow “will continue.”

They said peace talks would take place in Kazakhstan, without providing further details.

Iran and Russia have been the key backers of Bashar Assad and label all fighter forces in the country as “terrorists.”

“The result of this cooperation is a major victory in the fight against international terrorism,” added Putin.

Syrian troops this week retook control of eastern Aleppo, which has been held by disparate rebel groups since mid-2012, after a devastating month-long offensive that has caused tens of thousands of refugees to flee their homes.

Russia’s entry into the conflict in September 2015 — primarily through air strikes — helped turn the tide for Assad, while Iran has provided military advisers and frontline “volunteer” fighters.

Fighters ‘poisoning Damascus water’

Residents of the Syrian capital were facing their third consecutive day of water shortages on Sunday, with authorities accusing “terrorist groups” of deliberately poisoning water resources. The government cut off water to Damascus on Friday after concerns that rebel groups west of the city had poisoned wells and pipes.

A statement by the Damascus City Water Supply and Sewage Authority said it had halted supplies after “terrorist attacks on all water resources feeding into Damascus and its surroundings.”

It said it was using reserves and would pump water to various city neighborhoods according to a schedule published on its website.

“Water has been totally cut for three days,” said Rasha, a 51-year-old housewife.

“We can live without electricity but we can’t live without water.”

Supplies were pumped briefly to two districts on Saturday, AFP correspondents said, but tanks were empty again on Sunday.

According to state news agency SANA, fighters attacked springs at Wadi Barada and Ain Al-Fijeh, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of Damascus.

It did not specify the type of attack, but the daily Al-Watan, which is close to the government, accused fighters of “contaminating the water resources into Damascus with pollutants and diesel.”

An estimated 1.5 million people live inside Damascus city, with another 3.5 million in its suburbs.

While the capital has remained relatively insulated from the country’s brutal internecine war, rebel factions have seized territory across Damascus province.