Senior Iraqi cleric Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr expressed his strong support for Syrian President

Senior Iraqi cleric and prominent political figure, Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr, expressed his strong support for Syrian president saying there is “a big difference” between what is happening in Syria and the revolutions in “Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen,” AFP reported on Thursday.

"One of the reasons behind this difference is that [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad is against the American and Israeli presence and his attitudes are clear, not like those who collapsed before him, or will collapse," the statement read.

The comments came after the regional grouping of the Arab League suspended Syria's membership on Saturday and called for the imposition of sanctions on Damascus.

On Wednesday, an Arab League gathering gave Damascus a three-day ultimatum to end the months-long unrest. Syria boycotted the meeting, describing the order as illegitimate.

The Iraqi cleric warned against efforts to throw Syria into “an abyss of terrorism and fragmentation” by pushing Assad out of power.