Deployment of Thousands of Quds Force Members and Iraqi Militias to Syria to Fight Rebels

Radio Farda reported on Saturday, December 1, that thousands of members of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iraqi militias affiliated with groups supported by the Islamic Republic have been sent to Syria to confront armed rebels against the Syrian government. Since Wednesday morning, armed jihadist rebels have begun their attacks on areas controlled by the Syrian government in the northwest of the country and have advanced rapidly. The rebels participating in these attacks are mainly from 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham', a jihadist Islamist group, along with several other allied armed groups. The United States officially designated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham as a terrorist organization in 2018. The European Union, the UK, Turkey, and several other countries have also listed this group as terrorist. In just four days, the rebels have managed to completely control Idlib province, the majority of Aleppo province, including Aleppo city, Syria's second-largest city, and parts of northern Hama. Two informed sources from Iraqi militia groups supported by the Islamic Republic told Radio Farda that thousands of Quds Force-affiliated forces entered Baghdad on Thursday night, December 1, after crossing the Shalamcheh border. According to sources, these forces joined thousands of members of the two militia groups, Kata'ib Hezbollah and al-Nujaba, on the Basra-Baghdad road and then began their movement towards the Syrian borders. Sources informed Radio Farda that on Saturday morning, December 2, these forces entered Syria from the Iraqi border. Despite airstrikes by Russia and Syria against the rebels, their advance continues rapidly. Images have been published showing the capture of the Iranian consulate in Aleppo and a building associated with the forces supported by the IRGC in the city by armed rebels. Brigadier General Kiomars Pourhashemi, who is introduced by the IRGC as one of the senior Iranian military advisors in Syria, was one of the casualties in the Aleppo clashes. The current attack is unprecedented since the ceasefire agreement in northern Syria was reached in 2020 with the mediation of Russia and Turkey. Russia is an ally of the Syrian regime, while Turkey supports the opposition. After protests in Syria turned into an armed rebellion, the opposition took control of many parts of Syria. Protests began in Syria in 2010, but following the bloody suppression of demonstrators, the protests turned into an armed rebellion. Subsequently, with the support of allies including the IRGC and its supported Iraqi militias, Hezbollah, and Russian air support, the Syrian government agreed to regain control of most areas. In recent years, the opposition has only maintained control over the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria and a few surrounding villages. In this context, it is unclear which direction the conflict will take in the coming days. Iranian officials have threatened to eliminate armed rebels in Syria, including Iraj Masjedi, the deputy coordinator of the Quds Force, who promised the defeat of the Syrian government's opponents. Mojtaba Amani, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, also announced on Friday night in a television program that Iran and the 'Resistance Front' would support the Syrian government. Iran's Foreign Minister also told his Russian counterpart in a phone conversation on Saturday evening that the recent attacks are 'part of an Israeli and American plan to destabilize the region.' According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a center covering developments in Syria from London, the attack on Aleppo has so far left over 280 dead from various sides. The Syrian army has also confirmed the deaths of many of its soldiers during clashes with the rebels.