Anti-government fighters parade in the streets of Hama after forces captured the central Syrian city, on Dec.6, 2024. (AFP Photo)
By Newsroom
Dec 7, 2024 10:47 AM
Iran has reportedly begun evacuating its military personnel, including high-ranking commanders of its Quds Forces, from Syria as rebel forces rapidly advance and seize key cities.
According to a report by the New York Times, the evacuation started on Friday, with high-ranking officials from Iran’s Quds Forces, the elite external branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), being transferred to neighboring Iraq and Lebanon.
Iranian diplomatic staff, their families, and some civilians were also among those leaving Syria, regional officials said.
Iran’s withdrawal from Syria comes when President Bashar al-Assad’s government is facing an unexpected offensive by opposition groups, with rebel forces capturing key cities such as Homs, Aleppo and more.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (C), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) and Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh (R) are pictured during a joint press conference after the trilateral meeting in Baghdad, on December 6, 2024. – Fuad Hussein said his country must guard against attack, as Islamist-led rebels pressed a shock offensive in neighbouring Syria. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)This aerial view shows a helicopter at a Syrian military airbase after anti government fighters captured it, near the central city of Hama, on December 6, 2024. – Rebel forces pressing a lightning offensive in Syria aim to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, their Islamist leader said in an interview published on December 6. In little over a week, the offensive has seen Syria’s second city Aleppo and strategically located Hama fall from Assad’s control for the first time since the civil war began in 2011. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)A portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is displayed in the old city of Syria’s capital Damascus on December 6, 2024. – Rebel forces pressing a lightning offensive in Syria aim to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, their Islamist leader said in an interview published on December 6. In little over a week, the offensive has seen Syria’s second city Aleppo and strategically located Hama fall from Assad’s control for the first time since the civil war began in 2011. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)People chant slogans and wave the opposition flag during a gathering against the Syrian government in the Syria’s southern city of Sweida on December 6, 2024. (Photo by SHADI AL DUBAISI / AFP)A Syrian anti government fighter fires his rifle into the air in the streets of the west-central city of Hama on December 5, 2024. – Islamist-led rebels captured the central Syrian city of Hama on December 5, days after seizing the country’s commercial hub Aleppo in a lightning offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)
Evacuations signal shift in Syria’s civil war dynamics
The evacuations reflect a significant shift in the Syrian conflict, where Iran has been a pivotal supporter of the Assad regime throughout the 13-year civil war.
Iran’s assistance included deploying advisers, commanders, and militias, as well as using Syria as a supply route for weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The evacuations reportedly included personnel from the Iranian Embassy in Damascus and bases run by the IRGC.
Some evacuees are leaving by plane to Tehran, while others are traveling via land routes to Iraq, Lebanon, and the Syrian port of Latakia.
Anti-government fighters parade in the streets of Hama after forces captured the central Syrian city, on Dec.6, 2024. (AFP Photo)
