Israel's envoy to the United Nations told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that Iran has recruited at least 80,000 Shiite fighters which it is training at a base just over 5 miles from Damascus.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon held up a map as he told the Security Council Iran had set up the training base.
"What you can see here is Iran's central induction and recruitment center in Syria. There are over 80,000 Shia militants in Syria under Iranian control. It is at this base, just over 5 miles from Damascus, where they are trained to commit acts of terror in Syria and across the region," Danon said.
In February, satellite images showed that Iran is also building another permanent military base in Jabal ash Sharqi, a mountainous area 8 miles northwest of Damascus.
The base is believed to be operated by the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite division responsible for overseas operations.
A week earlier, The New York Times published a comprehensive report detailing a number of permanent bases the Islamic republic has built in the war-torn country.
