Cartoon by Jimmy Margulies

Battered by Israel, Iran and Hezbollah shift terror operations to southern Syria

Ynet News: “Those miscreants will destroy Syria and Lebanon. They’ve fallen into their own trap. They’ll be allowed to enter Al-Qusayr and wreak havoc wherever they can in Syria, only to be exhausted before being finally eliminated.” This is what Lieutenant General Hekmat Al-Shehabi, former chief of staff of the Syrian Army, told me about Hezbollah just before they occupied the city of Al-Qusayr.

Over the past month, a noticeable acceleration in Iranian tactics has become evident, as Iran has been shifting its assets across the region. Hezbollah, for example, has evacuated many of its bases in southern Syria near the Golan Heights. These bases have been taken over by Iraqi "Hashed Militias," whose members were granted Syrian citizenship by President Bashar al-Assad. They now wear the same military uniforms as the “Fourth Division,” a transparent and clumsy attempt at deception. This change occurred shortly after Israeli strikes on the villa of Maher al-Assad, leader of the Fourth Division, in Ya’afour, a western suburb of Damascus, at the end of last September. The attack was a clear Israeli message to Assad and his brother.

Over the past month, Syrian intelligence agencies have launched a disinformation campaign in Arab media, claiming that the leadership of the Fourth Division has ordered a halt to weapons transfers to Hezbollah and prohibited the accommodation of Iranian militants in its headquarters and bases. These fabricated claims appear to be a desperate attempt to avoid further Israeli strikes.

It is particularly striking that Hezbollah militants, who have retreated from southern Syria, southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut, have relocated to Homs, Latakia and Tartus. Notably, significant public tension has emerged in Homs due to the large influx of Hezbollah militants into the city, alongside the deployment of Al-Fuhood militias, which are overseen by Syrian military intelligence and supported by Iran.

Latakia, Tartus, and particularly Al-Qardaha, have effectively transformed into militarized zones due to the heavy presence of Hezbollah forces.

These militants have taken positions in secret tunnels and rocket-launching sites previously identified with the assistance of the Movement of Free Alawite Officers, which opposes Assad. Key locations include Beit Zantout, Al-Jofeah, Shiddaytah, Al-Maiseh and several other areas.

It is also noteworthy that these developments coincide with information I received from Al-Qardaha about 30 days ago. This intelligence suggests that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have begun intensive dialogue sessions with hundreds of Alawite officers to mobilize them into working more closely with Iranian forces >>>