Iran started running away from the rebels in Syria and evacuated its commanders and officers.
The situation in Syria is very delicate at this time and the rebel groups can capture the capital Damascus at any time. After capturing Hama and Darra, the rebel groups are fighting the Syrian army to capture the city of Homs. As soon as this city goes out of the hands of the Assad government, the way to reach Damascus will be clear.
Seeing the rebels growing, Iran has also started withdrawing its commanders and officers from Syria. The New York Times, citing Iranian and regional sources, reported that this move is being seen as Iran's diminishing ability to support President Bashar al-Assad amid a new attack by anti-government forces.
Sources said those evacuated to Iraq and Lebanon included senior leaders of the Quds Force, a branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
BREAKING
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 7, 2024
This is big.
The Islamic Republic of Iran began to evacuate its military commanders and personnel from Syria on Friday, in a sign of the Islamic Republic’s inability to help keep President Bashar al-Assad in power as he faces a resurgent rebel offensive.
Among those… pic.twitter.com/vnjTPmAIwl
According to Al-Arabiya, IRGC, Iranian diplomatic staff, their families and citizens have also been relocated. The process of evacuating its people from Syria began on Friday morning. The New York Times reported that the process of evacuating from Syria is going on at the Iranian embassy and Revolutionary Guard bases in Damascus, some embassy staff have already left the country.
The developments coincide with Syrian rebel fighters claiming on Saturday they had captured the southern town of Daraa, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against al-Assad and the fourth town lost by Syrian government forces in a week.
Agreement with opposition fighters
Al Arabiya quoted sources as saying the army had decided to withdraw from the pass as part of an agreement that granted army officers safe passage to Damascus, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the north.
After capturing the pass, rebel groups are now moving to take control of Homs. The capture of Homs will separate Damascus from al-Assad's Alawite strongholds along the coast, as well as from Russian military bases in the area.