At a time when Hezbollah and Israel have signed a shaky ceasefire, and Hamas is critically weakened in Gaza, certainly one of Iran’s different proxy strongholds within the Center East is inflicting expanding worry for the ayatollahs of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Syria.Dozens of Syrian military infantrymen were killed as rebels of the Islamist terror team Hayat Tahrir al-Sham swept into the most important town of Aleppo, forcing the military to redeploy within the greatest problem to President Bashar al-Assad in years.Russia, a big Assad best friend, stated its air pressure had performed moves on Syrian rebels in strengthen of the rustic’s military and adopted what used to be the boldest rise up attack for years in a civil warfare the place entrance traces had in large part been frozen since 2020. Iranian-backed militias additionally entered Syria on Sunday night time from Iraq to strengthen Assad and had been heading to northern Syria to fortify the beleaguered Syrian military forces scuffling with insurgents, in keeping with Syrian military assets. Dozens of Iran-aligned Iraqi Hashd al Shaabi warring parties from Iraq additionally crossed into Syria via an army course close to the Al Bukamal crossing.Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, as soon as referred to as the Nusra Entrance, is designated a terrorist team by means of the United States, Russia, Turkey, and different states. Maximum Syria- watchers, while appreciating the desire for the Syrian Civil Warfare to after all be ended, can be frightened on the surprising army upward thrust of a fear team identical in ideals to ISIS or al-Qaeda.Iran’s Preferrred Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in Tehran, Iran Might 30, 2024. (credit score: Workplace of the Iranian Preferrred Chief/WANA (West Asia Information Company) by the use of REUTERS)To throw his opinion into the combination, Iranian Preferrred Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei despatched out a put up on X on Sunday night time addressing the present state of affairs in Syria, pointing out, “Takfiri teams are just right information for enemies of the arena of Islam. Precisely at a time when all Islamic Ummah’s consideration is targeted at the factor of Palestine, Takfiri teams, as a substitute of focusing on Zionist regime’s malevolent nature, draw the eye to different puts.Takfiri teams are just right information for enemies of the arena of Islam. Precisely at a time when all Islamic Ummah’s consideration is targeted at the factor of Palestine, Takfiri teams, as a substitute of focusing on Zionist regime’s malevolent nature, draw the eye to different puts.#Syria— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) December 1, 2024 Khamenei’s tweet criticizes takfiri teams, a time period steadily used to explain extremist Sunni factions that claim different Muslims apostates (Takfir). He accused those teams of serving the pursuits of Islam’s enemies, comparable to america and Israel, by means of diverting consideration clear of the Palestinian motive and the “malevolent nature” of the Zionist regime (Israel).This point of view aligns with Khamenei’s long-standing trust within the umma – that cohesion amongst Muslims is very important to withstand exterior threats, specifically Israel. By way of attractive in inside conflicts—like the ones in Syria—takfiri teams weaken the Islamic international and shift focal point from what Khamenei perspectives because the central factor: Palestinian liberation and opposition to Zionism. Keep up to date with the newest information! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Publish Publication Khamenei, whilst embodying the Shia theocratic type, steadily invokes the concept that of the umma, or Muslim group at massive, to say Iran’s management in a broader Islamist combat.A courting price saving?Iran and Syria’s alliance started within the aftermath of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Syria, beneath former president Hafez al-Assad, used to be one of the vital first Arab countries to again Iran all the way through the Iran-Iraq Warfare. The shared hostility towards Israel and opposition to Western affect within the Center East cemented their ties. Syria additionally supplied crucial logistical strengthen to Iran, permitting the passage of fingers and provides to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed armed forces in Lebanon – one thing Israel has spent years looking to disrupt however amped up its power for the reason that warfare towards Hezbollah erupted after October 7.The Islamic Innovative Guards Corps (IRGC), specifically its Quds Power, has been the principle actor managing Iran’s courting with Syria. The Quds Power, tasked with overseeing Iran’s extraterritorial operations, established a vital presence in Syria to strengthen each strategic targets and ideological ones, comparable to exporting the Islamic Revolution’s ideas. Iran’s strengthen for Syria contains fingers provides, financial assist, and the learning of pro-Assad militias. The onset of Syria’s civil warfare in 2011 marked a turning level within the courting. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, like his father Hafez, situated himself as a key best friend of Iran. When anti-Assad protests escalated right into a violent battle, the IRGC intervened decisively to make sure Assad’s survival, as dropping Syria would were a strategic blow to Iran’s regional affect.Iran has since poured billions of greenbacks into Syria, supplying fingers, deploying IRGC officials, and recruiting militias from around the area, together with Afghan, Pakistani, and Iraqi warring parties. This intervention helped Assad regain keep watch over over a lot of the rustic. Iran additionally considered the warfare as a possibility to make bigger its “axis of resistance” towards Israel, consolidating a land hall from Tehran to the Mediterranean.The Assad circle of relatives’s secular Ba’athist ideology contrasts with Iran’s theocratic Shi’a governance, however their partnership endures because of shared targets. Each regimes oppose US insurance policies within the area, strengthen Palestinian resistance teams, and face up to Sunni-dominated powers like Saudi Arabia and Turkey. For Iran, Syria acts as a crucial bridge to Hezbollah in Lebanon and offers get admission to to Israel’s borders, improving its deterrence technique.Whilst the Iran-Syria alliance stays robust, it faces demanding situations, together with financial pressures and differing priorities in post-war reconstruction. Syria’s dependence on Russia has presented a brand new participant into the dynamic, every now and then complicating Iran’s affect. Then again, the IRGC’s deep entrenchment in Syrian safety and financial buildings guarantees its persisted leverage.The connection between Iran, the IRGC, and Syria is a multifaceted alliance outlined by means of strategic necessity, ideological convergence, and mutual survival towards shared adversaries. The IRGC’s position as Iran’s exterior arm guarantees that Syria stays central to Iran’s regional ambitions.Lacking friendsOver the process 2024, Khamenei has misplaced a few of his closest allies.The removing of figures like Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh (killed in Tehran itself), and Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar could have led the Iranian management to be determined to stay Assad, their closest best friend within the area, in energy. It doesn’t matter what the fee.In Khamenei’s eyes, the umma is not only an idea however a undertaking embodied within the jihadist teams that Iran backs and the IRGC’s intensive achieve. His put up, accusing HTS of drawing consideration clear of Israel’s wars and the Palestinian factor is simply a pretense diverting clear of the true factor and his actual message: Assad will have to keep in energy, or Iran’s affect can be significantly wounded in Israel’s outer edge.
