Hundreds of Iranian Soldiers Have Entered Syria to Begin Ground Operations

Reuters has reported in an exclusive article that hundreds of Iranian soldiers have entered Syria in the past 10 days to prepare for ground operations alongside forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah against the regime's opponents. Reuters states that this information was obtained from two Lebanese sources, and the ground operations are expected to be supported by Russian fighter jets. One of these sources, familiar with the political and military situation in Syria, said that 'Russian airstrikes will soon accompany the ground advance of Syrian government forces and their allies.' According to him, 'the upcoming ground operations will likely take place in the Hama and Idlib regions [in northwestern Syria].' The two sources indicated that the goal of the mentioned operations is to reclaim areas captured by anti-Assad rebels. It appears that the areas in question, which are to be retaken by the ground forces of Assad and Iran with Russian air support, were seized earlier this year due to the rapid advance of rebel forces. The second source of Reuters regarding the deployment of Iranian forces to the Syrian front stated: 'The vanguard of the Iranian ground forces has entered Syria: soldiers and officers to participate in this battle. They are not advisors... we mean hundreds of forces equipped with equipment and weapons. More will join them.' He added that Iraqi forces would also participate in this operation. Iran's military support for the Assad regime has so far been limited to sending military advisors. The Islamic Republic had previously recruited Shiite forces, including Iraqis and Afghans, to fight alongside the Syrian army. Tehran had previously denied reports of sending military forces to Syria. The Hezbollah group from Lebanon, supported by Iran, has also been on the side of the Damascus regime since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. The announcement of this news comes a day after the start of Russian airstrikes against positions held by Assad's opponents. While it was previously stated that the goal of the Russian strikes was the Islamic State group, reports indicate that these operations are more focused on militia groups supported by the West and Arab countries, as well as forces trained by the CIA. According to the Associated Press, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, reported that Russian fighter jets targeted positions of the 'Tajammu al-Izza' group, which is supported by the U.S., in the central Hama province on Thursday. The previous day, areas held by this group were also attacked. These strikes have also targeted Idlib province, which is under the control of a coalition of rebel groups, including the al-Nusra Front, a branch of al-Qaeda, and Ahrar al-Sham. Russian air operations in support of Bashar al-Assad's government began on Wednesday, which, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a preemptive action. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, stated that Moscow is targeting Islamic State militants and 'a list' of other groups. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Russia has sent 50 fighter jets along with special forces and paratroopers to its bases in Syria, and their air operations continued for the second consecutive day on Thursday. Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, stated that Russian aircraft have destroyed or damaged 12 positions belonging to the Islamic State group, including a command center and two ammunition depots. Some informed officials have indicated that other unidentified groups have also been targeted. The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman added that Sukhoi 25 fighter jets conducted 20 sorties on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Konashenkov emphasized that no civilians were targeted in these attacks. Vladimir Putin also denied reports of civilian casualties in the Russian airstrikes. In a live televised statement, he said, 'We are ready to receive such reports. The first reports of civilian casualties were published before our aircraft took off.' On the other hand, Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, told France 24 that his country supports the Russian air operations against militia groups in Iraq but has not yet discussed this with Putin.