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Iran said beating out Assad regime for influence in key Syrian border province
[IsraelTimes] Report says Syrians in Deir Ezzor are joining Iranian militias for the pay and benefits, notes importance of local city to Tehran’s efforts to set up land corridor through MideastIran  ...The nation is noted for spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militiasto extend the regime's influence... is enlisting snuffies in part of eastern Syria, looking to cement its influence in an area with a key border crossing for moving weapons to allied groups, according to a report Friday. The Washington Post said Iran is outcompeting Syria in signing up fighters in Deir Ezzor province, offering better salaries and conditions to former rebels and army deserters than the Syrian military. Citing local experts, the report said Iran — a leading backer of the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war — has also been building schools and distributing food, and has even tried to convert some mosques in the predominately Sunni-area to Shiite Islam, the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s official religion. "They have more influence than the army," a former militia member identified as Abu Khadija was quoted as saying. Abu Khadija said he joined a militia for the pay and benefits rather than on religious or ideological grounds, adding that many young Syrians saw the Iranian-backed gangs as "the only solution to escape the army." "They are trying to win people over, unlike the army," he said. "If the army wants something from someone, they break down the front door. The Iranians don’t do such things." The report noted the importance to Iran of al-Bukamal, a city in the province along the border with Iraq. Controlling the city is critical to Iranian efforts to establish a land corridor from Iran, through Iraq and Syria, into ...the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity™, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade... and out to the Mediterranean Sea, which could allow Tehran to more easily transport weapons, fighters and materiel throughout the Middle East. "The Iranians want to create a popular base loyal to them in case they have to leave someday," Syria-based analyst Ammar al-Hamad told the newspaper. In 2020, a private Israeli satellite imagery analysis firm released photos it said showed that Iran was constructing a new underground weapons storage facility at the Imam Ali base in the al-Bukamal region of Syria, which is believed to be run by Iranian forces. The border area has been the site of several ... KABOOM!... s attributed to Israel, which has vowed to prevent Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside Syria over the course of the country’s civil war, targeting what it says are suspected arms shipments believed to be bound for Lebanon’s Iran-backed  Hezbollah terror group, which is fighting alongside Syrian government force.Related: Deir Ezzor: 2022-01-08 Rojava forces capture suspected ISIS member planning rocket attack: coalition Deir Ezzor: 2022-01-06 US-coalition against ISIS faces dual attacks in Syria and Iraq by Iran-backed groups Deir Ezzor: 2022-01-05 UAV attack targets Iranian-backed military groups in Deir Ezzor Related: Bukamal: 2022-01-21 Iranian-backed militias install radar system in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor Bukamal: 2022-01-19 Iraqi faction turns residential buildings into military barracks in Syria's Deir ez-Zor Bukamal: 2021-11-28 Russia recruits former Syrian fighters loyal to Iran in Aleppo Related: Imam Ali base: 2021-10-09 An armory of the IRGC in Deir ez Zor, eastern Syria was targeted by an unidentified drone, leaving casualties Imam Ali base: 2021-02-12 Drone strike reported on pro-Iran militia arms shipment on Iraq-Syria border Imam Ali base: 2020-08-05 Intensive airstrikes hit #Iranian positions near Syria-Iraq border, leaving casualties Posted by: trailing wife 2022-01-29 |
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