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Assad's Forces Move South

(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Bassam Barabandi - At the beginning of May, the Assad regime dispatched major military reinforcements to the city of Daraa in southern Syria amid reports of a military operation to be carried out with Iranian backing. In response, a new uprising broke out in Daraa, suggesting that Iranian and other affiliated militias would face heavy resistance. On July 31, 2018, with official Russian sponsorship and guarantees, Daraa residents and the regime had reached an agreement that ended military operations in the province. Russia sent dozens of military police as observers to ensure the implementation of the agreement. Now, two years after the deal, the Syrian regime is trying to disavow these agreements and is attempting to regain Daraa province by force. Moscow appears to have become a spectator rather than a guarantor. Meanwhile, Iran has continued to build up allied forces and expand its military bases in the south and has taken no note of what the Russians do or say in terms of agreements with the Israelis and Americans. Iran has set up Shia Military Brigade 313, headed by Ibrahim Merji and based in Izra', which is linked to the IRGC. It is composed of 1,200 fighters and is designed to help Iran impose its control over Syria's southern border to threaten Israel. The writer is a former Syrian diplomat.
2020-06-04 00:00:00
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