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Iran Rejected Russian Pressure to Change Its Role in Syria
(Al-Monitor) Ali Hashem - Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, which largely determines Iran's Syria strategy, is keeping the heat on President Hassan Rouhani to maintain Iran's focus on its commitments there, despite pressure and attacks from the U.S. and Israel. Israeli intelligence sources are saying that the Quds Force is seeking to increase its presence in Syria, despite Israeli airstrikes on Iranian-linked military positions around the country. A source working with Iran's IRGC advisers in Syria told Al-Monitor that "Iran is there to stay....Neither the assassination of Qassem Soleimani would have changed the Iranian point of view, nor would the [U.S.] sanctions." "We might have differences over issues with our Russian partners in Syria. They have their plans and we have ours. In the last few months they pushed for changes in our role that didn't meet our objectives. We refused."