Arab League–Iran relations Syria is often called Iran's "closest ally", the Arab nationalism ideology of Syria's ruling Baath party notwithstanding. During the Iran–Iraq War, Syria sided with non-Arab Iran against its enemy Iraq and was isolated by Saudi Arabia and some of the Arab countries, with the exceptions of Libya, Lebanon, Algeria, Sudan and Oman. Iran and Syria have had a strategic alliance ever since, partially due to their common animosity towards Saddam Hussein and coordination against the United States and Israel. Syria and Iran cooperate on arms smuggling from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon, which borders Israel. On 16 June 2006 the
Saddam Hussein Nagar, Sri Lanka Saddam Hussein Nagar, Sri Lanka Saddam Hussein Town () is the name of a village exclusively inhabited by local Muslims in the Batticaloa district of Sri Lanka. It is named after Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, who donated all the funds required to build the village and its central Mosque. Saddam Hussein first became involved in the village after floods hit the area in 1978 and local authorities approached the Iraqi embassy for help. The former president was said to have readily obliged and sponsored construction of the entire village with some 100 houses, including a school and a