Iran has scaled back its military presence in Syria following Israeli airstrikes targeting several of its military leaders, according to a source close to Hezbollah and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A source close to Hezbollah, speaking anonymously to AFP, stated, “Iranian forces evacuated the southern area of Syria, withdrawing from their positions in the countryside of Damascus, Daraa, and Quneitra in the south of the country over the past weeks.”
“They only have a representative office in Damascus for communication between the Syrian state and allies,” the source added, referring to Iran-aligned factions.
Meetings were reportedly held “inside the Iranian consulate, thinking (its organizers) were safe from Israeli strikes,” according to the same source.
However, the recent bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, attributed by Tehran and Damascus to Israel, proved to be a painful blow.
The bombing resulted in the deaths of seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two senior officials, one of whom was the top Iranian military official in Syria.
Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, stated, “Iranian forces evacuated bases starting from Damascus and in the south of the country, reaching the borders with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, fearing being targeted again.”
He added that fighters from Hezbollah and other Iraqi factions have replaced Iranian forces in the mentioned areas.
While the consulate bombing accelerated the withdrawal of Iranian forces from several provinces in Syria, the process of reducing military presence began earlier this year, amid Israeli strikes targeting Iranian targets since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following an unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
According to the Hezbollah source, the reduction of Iranian forces began after a raid Tehran accused Israel of conducting on a building in the Mezzeh district of Damascus on January 20, resulting in the deaths of five Iranian advisers, including the intelligence chief of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria and his deputy.
According to the Observatory, a batch of Iranian advisers left in March following the Israeli strikes.
