(MEMRI) N. Mozes - Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in addition to economic aid, arms, and advice, includes combat forces from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), from Hizbullah in Lebanon, and from Iraqi, Afghan and Pakistani Shi'ite militias that are loyal to Iran. Initially, these organizations focused on defending Shi'ite holy sites in Syria, but over time the fighting expanded to the most difficult anti-opposition fronts. According to the Syrian opposition, thousands of fighters trained by the IRGC have arrived in Syria on four daily flights from Iran to Latakia. Iran also has begun to organize and oversee Syrian forces fighting alongside the regime, such as Syrian Hizbullah, Liwa al-Quds, the National Religious Resistance-Jaish al-Imam al-Mahdi, the National Resistance in Houran (HAMO), and Liwa al-Ridda al-Shi'i. Some of the Iran-operated Syrian "popular resistance groups," such as Syrian Hizbullah, stress that their aim is to operate against Israel, not only against the Syrian opposition.
2015-05-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive