Iran has lessened its presence in Syria after air attacks: Haaretz

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Iran has reduced its activity in Syria and cut down the number of its affiliated militias, Israeli Haaretz said on Friday.  

In an analysis published today, the newspaper reported that Iran has lessened its presence in Syria after air attacks “attributed to Israel.”

“There is nothing random about this,” the newspaper noted adding that since Israel started taking action against the Iranian presence in Syria, in late 2017, “numerous modifications have occurred there.”

Haaretz attributes this step to Russia’s aid and pressure which led Iran to center its activity in the T-4 air force base, east of Homs, “which is much farther from its border with Israel.”  

Various Western intelligence sources estimate that the number of Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen in Syria has been halved, from 20,000 to 10,000, as Tehran is having difficulty financing its Syrian project, according to the newspaper. It is noteworthy that the assassination of the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Qassem Soleminai in January 2020, has put Iran in front of great difficulties