Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has reduced the number of its senior officers in Syria following a rise in attacks by Israeli forces in the war-torn country, media reports say.
Since December, Israeli attacks have killed around six of the Guard’s top intelligence generals.
Sources have told Reuters that Iran’s decision to move out senior officers is to avoid being sucked directly into a larger conflict in the region.
Though the Iranian government has been indirectly involved in the Israel-Hamas war, it has stayed out of a direct conflict with Tel Aviv.
A senior officer said that commanders along with dozens of mid-ranking officers had left Syria.
Iran In Syria
The Iranian government had sent thousands of fighters/militia to Syria during the war. These included members of the Guard along with other militia from across the region, who were supported by Tehran.
Iranian forces were sent to Syria at the invitation of president Bashar al-Assad. They helped him seize control of swathes of the country in the conflict that began in 2011.
Though Assad and his force won back most of Syria, Iranian forces continued to have a presence in vast parts of the country.
Officials have told Reuters that the downsizing would have no impact on the operations in Syria.
After the October 7 attack in Israel by Hamas, the Benjamin Netanyahu government has bombed suspected Iranian-backed locations in Syria and Lebanon but has so far not taken any responsibility for the attacks in Syria.
Israeli Strikes In Syria
On January 20, an Israeli strike on Damascus killed the Guards intelligence chief for Syria, his deputy and two others, according to Iranian news agency Mehr. The reprisal by Israel came after the Revolutionary Guard said it attacked “an Israeli intelligence headquarters” in Arbil, Iraq.
On December 25, a senior Guards adviser responsible for coordinating between Syria and Iran was killed outside Damascus.
The Guards have raised concerns about information leaks by Syrian security forces and have taken it up with relevant authorities.
