Iran reduced its military presence in Syria following Israeli attacks against some of its military leaders, AFP reports.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 24, 2024
Iranian forces evacuated the southern region of Syria and retreated from their positions in the rural areas of Damascus, Daraa and Quneitra in the south of… pic.twitter.com/6lHP8IoLLJ
… in the south of the country in recent weeks.
"They only have a representative office in Damascus through which communication with Syria and its allies in the region is carried out."
| The Times of Israel adds: |
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for
spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet
militiasto extend the regime's influence. The word
Iranis a cognate form of
Aryan.The abbreviation
IRGCis the same idea as
Stürmabteilung (or SA).The term
Supreme Guideis a the modern version form of either
Duceor
Führeror maybe both. They hate
has reduced its military footprint in Syria after a succession of strikes blamed on Israel, a source close to Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah and a war monitor said Wednesday.
Iran has provided military support to Syrian government forces through more than a decade of civil war, but a series of strikes targeting its commanders in recent months has prompted a reshaping of its presence, the sources said.
"Iran withdrew its forces from southern Syria," including both Quneitra and Daraa provinces, which abut the Israeli-held Golan Heights, the source close to Hezbollah said.
But it still maintains a presence in other parts of the country, the source added.
Recent months have seen a series of strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, widely blamed on Israel, culminating in an April 1 strike that leveled what Iran said was a consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.
That strike prompted Iran to launch a first-ever direct missile and drone attack against Israel on April 13-14 that sent regional tensions spiraling. Israel allegedly responded with a missile strike on an Iranian air defense unit inside Iran.
But Iran had already begun drawing down its forces after a January 20 strike that killed five Revolutionary Guards in Damascus, including their Syria intelligence chief and his deputy, the source close to Hezbollah said.
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Iran-backed Lebanese and Iraqi fighters had taken their place, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Iran has said repeatedly that it has no combat troops in Syria, only officers to provide military advice and training. But the Observatory, which is of unclear funding, says as many as 3,000 Iranian military personnel are present in Syria, supported by tens of thousands of Iranian-trained fighters from countries including Leb
...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers..., Iraq and Afghanistan.
Abdel Rahman said that many of Iran’s advisers had left Syria in recent months, especially after a strike in March killed a Revolutionary Guard and two others — although some remained in Aleppo province in the north and Deir Ezzor province in the east.
People who have recently traveled to Damascus told AFP Iran’s presence had become less visible in the Syrian capital, with several Iranian army offices in its Old City now closed. The Iranian flags and portraits of Iran’s leaders that hung in parts of Damascus have mostly disappeared, they added.
Now, the Iranian presence was visible only in Sayyida Zeinab, an important Shiite pilgrimage destination in the city’s southern outskirts, they said.
