Telegraph Report on Increasing Disputes within the Revolutionary Guards Following Assad's Downfall

The British newspaper 'Telegraph' reported on the increasing disputes among the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) regarding the fall of Bashar al-Assad. According to the report, IRGC commanders are angry about the collapse of Assad's regime and blame each other for the disintegration and loss of the Islamic Republic's influence in the region. Two IRGC officials quoted by the newspaper stated that no one is willing to accept responsibility for this issue. One IRGC official told the Telegraph that no one expected Assad to flee, and their interest in him was not due to his personality but rather to maintain proximity to Israel and Hezbollah. The Islamic Republic has spent billions of dollars supporting Assad's regime in addition to its intervention in the Syrian civil war. Previously, Bahram Parsai, a former parliament member, wrote on social media 'X': 'While I was in parliament, Syria's debt to Iran and Bashar al-Assad was $30 billion, which was not approved by the parliament contrary to Article 80 of the Constitution.' The Telegraph noted that Syria under Assad was the main route for supplying weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Another IRGC official told the Telegraph that the focus of the Islamic Republic's military officials now is on how to extricate themselves from this deadlock. He added that some individuals in the IRGC blame Ismail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force. This IRGC official stated, 'No one dares to tell themselves, but he did nothing to prevent the loss of Iran's interests and only observed the situation from Tehran.' The first IRGC official referred to rumors about Qaani being replaced by Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and said, 'Many are calling for his replacement.' He added that Khamenei had summoned several IRGC commanders in recent days as rebel forces advanced toward Damascus. Bashar al-Assad's regime was a key link in what the Iranian government calls the 'Resistance Axis' in the Middle East, and its downfall has significantly weakened the Islamic Republic's regional influence. AFP also reported analytically on the 'unimaginable' images of Assad's opponents entering the Iranian embassy in Damascus, addressing the destruction of this 'key link of the Resistance Axis' and added that the Iranian government is trying to align itself with the new reality in Syria. France's Channel 24 television also referred to the images of Assad's opponents at the Iranian embassy in Damascus and the torn images of Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei, Qassem Soleimani, and Hassan Nasrallah as a 'turning point.' The alignment of Assad's opponents and the consequences of his downfall for the Iranian government's 'Resistance Axis' were highlighted, with Blinken stating that Assad's fall is a defeat for the Islamic Republic, Russia, and Hezbollah. Developments in Syria have been scrutinized by users as a 'fatal blow' to the Islamic Republic. The European Union called the fall of the criminal Assad regime a historic moment. Prince Reza Pahlavi commented on Assad's downfall, stating that 'we are closer to victory.'