The Iranian presence on the Syrian-Israel border is a well-known fact, but a new report from a Syrian research institute reveals just how deeply Iran has entrenched itself on Israel's northern border.
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The report was compiled by the Istanbul-based research institute Jusoor for Studies, which maintains close contact with the forces that oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
According to the report, in the two years since Russia, the US, Jordan and Israel signed a 2018 agreement promising to lessen Iran's presence on the Syrian Golan heights, the Iranian military presence in southern Syria has more than doubled, and it is deployed in preparation for a future confrontation with Israel.
The report claims that from 2018-2021, the number of military bases and outposts of pro-Iranian militias and Hezbollah in southern Syria has increased from 40 to 88. It also reveals that bases of the Syrian Army, particularly the 90th Brigade deployed from southern Syrian to Damascus, serve as logistics backing for the pro-Iranian militias in the country.
In addition, the report claims that the militia personnel includes fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, and that its command echelon is mostly comprised of members of the Revolutionary Guards Corps serving in Syria disguised as militia members or Syrian army officers.
The report presents two main lines of bases belonging to the militias, Hezbollah, and bases used by both groups. One line is located very close to the Israeli border and the center of it is located near the Druze village of Khader in the northern Syrian Golan. The second line runs for some 30 km. (18.5 miles) eastward, and its purpose is to supply equipment and launching sport for rockets and artillery fire for frontline fighters.
According to the report, the forces loyal to Iran in Syria also help the Assad forces oppress the local population, which in July led an uprising near the city Daraa.
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