Government hands over checkpoints to pro-Iran militias in Syrian Desert
PALMYRA, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, government forces withdrew from eight checkpoints on the road between Palmyra and the Sukhna area in the middle of the Syrian Desert, in preparation to hand them over to pro-Iranian factions operating in the area.
The checkpoints were withdrawn towards the Sukhna area and the center of Palmyra city in preparation for their deployment this week in the vicinity of Palmyra and Sukhna only, said Issa al-Kardawi (28), a member of the checkpoint security of the government forces.
The checkpoints will be handed over to Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba from the side of Palmyra city, and Liwa Fatemiyoun from the side of the town of Sukhna in the Desert of the eastern countryside of Homs, which is under the control of government forces, he added to North Press.
The Palmyra-Sukhna road is considered a vital economic artery, as it connects the Syrian Desert areas with the capital Damascus. It also connects the city of Deir ez-Zor and the countryside of Raqqa, which is under the control of the Syrian government forces, with the capital Damascus via the same road.
Last Thursday, military reinforcements of the pro-Iranian factions arrived in the vicinity of the city of Palmyra in the middle of the Syrian Desert in the eastern countryside of Homs, including “Hummer vehicles, medium and heavy machine guns, and military advisers from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization.”
“The Iranian factions are preparing to launch a large-scale security campaign in areas in the Syrian Desert, from Palmyra to the desert of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, in successive stages,” Ali al-Karrar (a pseudonym), a member of Liwa Fatemiyoun, told North Press.