Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards have scaled back deployment of their senior officers in Syria due to a spate of deadly Israeli strikes and will rely more on allied Shia militia to preserve their sway there, five sources familiar with the matter said.
\nThe Guards have suffered one of their most bruising spells in Syria since arriving a decade ago to aid President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war. Since December, Israeli strikes have killed more than half a dozen of their members, among them one of the Guards\u2019 top intelligence generals.
\nAs hardliners in Tehran demand retaliation, Iran\u2019s decision to pull out senior officers is driven partly by its aversion to being sucked directly into a conflict bubbling across the Middle East, three of the sources told Reuters.
\nWhile the sources said Iran has no intention of quitting Syria \u2013 a key part of Tehran\u2019s sphere of influence \u2013 the rethink underscores how the consequences of the war ignited by Palestinian group Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7 attack on Israel are unfolding in the region.
\nIran, a backer of Hamas, has sought to stay out of the conflict itself even as it supports groups that have entered the fray from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria \u2013 the so-called \u201cAxis of Resistance\u201d that is hostile to Israeli and US interests.
\nOne of the sources \u2013 a senior regional security official briefed by Tehran \u2013 said senior Iranian commanders had left Syria along with dozens of mid-ranking officers, describing it as a downsizing of the presence.<\/p>\n
The source did not say how many Iranians had left and Reuters was unable independently to determine that.<\/p>\n
Read also: Israeli strike on Damascus kills four Iranian Revolutionary Guards<\/p>\n
The news agency could not reach the Guards for comment and the Syrian information ministry did not respond to emailed questions for this story.<\/p>\n
Iran has sent thousands of fighters to Syria during the Syrian war. While these have included members of the Guards, officially serving in the role of advisors, the bulk have been Shia militiamen from all over the region.<\/p>\n
Three of the sources said the Guards would manage Syrian operations remotely, with help from ally Hezbollah. The Lebanese group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Another source, a regional official close to Iran, said those still in Syria had left their offices and were staying out of sight. \u201cThe Iranians won\u2019t abandon Syria but they reduced their presence and movements to the greatest extent.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sources said the changes so far had not had an impact on operations. The downsizing would \u201chelp Tehran to avoid being pulled into the Israel-Gaza war,\u201d one of the sources, an Iranian, said.<\/p>\n
Since the Gaza war erupted, Israel has stepped up a years-long campaign of air strikes aimed at rolling back Iran\u2019s presence in Syria, attacking both the Guards and Hezbollah \u2013 which in turn has been exchanging fire with Israel across the Lebanese-Israeli border since Oct. 8.<\/p>\n
Israel rarely comments on its attacks in Syria and has not declared responsibility for the recent strikes there. In response to Reuters\u2019 questions, the Israeli military said it did not comment on foreign media reports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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