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Syrian Opposition Figure: Bashar al-Assad Opened Syria to Iranian Domination
(Al Arabiya) Rawad Taha - "Hama airport is the main transport hub for Iranian weaponry to Hizbullah in Lebanon and southern Syria," Syrian opposition figure Firas Tlass told Al Arabiya. Iran "established an intelligence base for the Revolutionary Guard that is now as strong as the Syrian intelligence in the Damascus airport." Tlass is the son of former Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass. Tlass said that during the era of Hafez al-Assad, the Iranians were a Syrian ally, but the Syrian regime had the upper hand in that relationship. "Hafez al-Assad used to draw the red line. Hafez had the idea that Lebanon is his and that he gives space to Hizbullah to maneuver." After his death, "This is when Iran started having the upper hand in Syria because Bashar [al-Assad] was so influenced by [Hizbullah leader Hassan] Nasrallah. Because of that relation between Hizbullah and Bashar, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started having their major influence especially after 2007." According to Tlass, Bashar al-Assad does not want to give in to 10% of the Syrians' reform demands. However, he is always "willing to give 99%" of Syria to the Iranians or Russians if he can stay in power.