Israeli attacks on the positions of Iranian forces and militias loyal to them are escalating in several areas of Syria, in a continuation of the “shadow struggle” between Israel and Iran against the backdrop of the Gaza war that has been ongoing for nearly 5 months.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israel has carried out 17 direct targeting operations and ground and air assassinations within 100 days, since last November 10, which resulted in the killing of 96 soldiers affiliated with Iranian militias in Syria.
What are the most prominent Iranian militias in Syria? How many are there?
According to the “Jusoor” Center and the “Informagin” data analysis organization, Iranian militias have been deployed in Syria since 2012, including Arab and non-Arab militias, in addition to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its Quds Force, the most prominent of which are:
Fatemiyoun Brigade: It is formed from Hazara Afghans fleeing to Iran, and the number of its fighters is about 3,000, deployed in the Sayyida Zeinab area, south of Damascus.
Zainabiyoun Brigade: Pakistani fighters, the majority of whom are Pashtun, and there are about a thousand armed men in Damascus and its nearby suburbs.
Hezbollah: It does not have fixed positions in Syria. It uses the Syrian army’s military units to carry out its operations and conduct its activities. It also uses civilian homes in the Sayyida Zeinab area as temporary headquarters that change from time to time.
Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade: Iraqi fighters, and the number of its fighters is not fixed due to repeated defections.
Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades: An Iraqi formation that sent many of its fighters, numbering about 7,000, to Syria in 2013, and cooperates with Syrian Hezbollah in carrying out its operations.
The Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement: An Iraqi formation supported by Iran, which fought alongside the Syrian army in the countryside of Aleppo and Damascus.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq: An Iraqi military group with subsidiary headquarters in the Damascus countryside and Albukamal.
Al-Waad Al-Sadiq Corps: An Iraqi militia consisting of about two thousand members between Iraq and Syria, with its subsidiary headquarters in the Damascus countryside.
Saraya Al-Tala’i Al-Khursani: An Iraqi formation founded in 1984. It is considered the military wing of the Vanguard Party, and the number of its fighters is about 5,000 between Iraq and Syria.
Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr Forces: An Iraqi formation whose mission is to support members of Public Security and the Ministry of Interior of the Syrian government, and its members wear Syrian police uniforms.
Imam Hussein Brigade: An Iraqi formation spread in the Damascus countryside and Aleppo and headed by Amjad Al-Bahadli.
Dhu al-Fiqar Brigade: An Iraqi formation that participated in several battles against opposition factions in the Damascus countryside.
The Yemeni Saada Brigade: A Yemeni formation of the Houthis, numbering approximately 750 armed men, who fought alongside the Syrian army in the southern and eastern countryside of Damascus, and returned to Yemen following the outbreak of war there.
The Palestinian Al-Quds Brigade: a military component of Palestinians residing in Syria, especially in Bab al-Nayrab camp in Aleppo. It participated in several battles in Aleppo, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, and Daraa. The number of its fighters ranges between 2,500 and 3,000. It is based in Bab al-Nayrab camp and has training camps in Handarat and Sheikh camps. Carpenter and mallah in the Aleppo countryside.
While there are local Syrian militias consisting of dozens of local militias, they are fighting under Iranian orders, the most notable of which are:
The victors: The Islamic Resistance Brigades in Syria. They are from the Sahel region and number about a thousand armed men.
Al-Zahraa Battalion: From the village of Al-Zahraa, the number of its militants is estimated at about 350.
The Mihrab Martyr Brigade: from the city of Nubl, and its armed men number about 500.
Al-Abbas Battalion: in Al-Fu’ah, consisting of about 200 militants.
Al-Fouah Brigades: The number of its groups is estimated at about 800 militants.
Imam Al-Rida: Militias of Syrian and Lebanese Alawites spread in the eastern countryside of Homs, numbering about two thousand armed men.
Al-Baqir Brigade: Its strength is made up of members of the Aleppo Berri clan, numbering about 500 armed men, in addition to members of the Bakara tribe affiliated with the former oppositionist who returned to the Syrian government, Sheikh Nawaf Ragheb Al-Bashir, numbering about 1,700 fighters.
Qalamoun Shield Forces and “Military Security Shield Forces”: Their job is to attract soldiers deserting the army and recruit them for Iraqi and Iranian militias.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Iranian militias are distributed in all areas under the control of the Syrian forces, with a number of no less than 65,000 fighters, including 11,000 of Syrian nationality, and about 18,000 of Arab and Asian nationalities.
Map of militias in Syria and their most prominent locations of control:
Iranian militias control important hills in southern Syria, and use them as advanced monitoring centers under the cover of the Syrian army, and their members move around in their uniforms and vehicles.
A new map showed the presence of 28 sites for Iranian forces and affiliated militias in the south, as well as the establishment of the 313 Shiite Military Brigade, headed by Ibrahim Marji, headquartered in the city of Azraa, consisting of about 1,200 fighters, and affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, whose mission is to protect strategic weapons stores in the southern region.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that many of these militias are present in 55 bases and 515 military points in Syria, and the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, acknowledged in 2020 that the number of these militias is more than 100,000 members in about 70 militias.
Regarding the Iranian presence in Syria, Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Sky News Arabia that it is widespread in:
Deir ez-Zor, Albukamal, and Al-Mayadeen, eastern Syria.
The Homs desert and the northern, southern, eastern and western Homs countryside.
On the Lebanese-Syrian border under the supervision of the Lebanese Hezbollah.
In the southern Damascus countryside in Daraa and the southwestern Damascus countryside with the occupied Golan.
Some areas of Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria.
The Sayyida Zeinab area in Damascus, and in the vicinity of the capital, specifically in Damascus Airport and the adjacent military barracks, are the most prominent areas of Iranian presence in Syria, which explains the repeated Israeli targeting of them.
There is an Iranian military base in Latakia on the Mediterranean.
As for the expert on Iranian affairs, Mahmoud Jaber, he told the “Sky News Arabia” website that the importance of the eastern region, represented by Deir ez-Zor Governorate, comes because it constitutes the bridge linking Iranian militias between Syria and Iraq, and “therefore, if the Iranians weaken or lose this point, it will be impossible to find A corridor from Tehran to the Mediterranean coast, except by air.”
According to Jaber, the most important areas where Iranian militias are located are Deir ez-Zor and Albukamal, and they are considered “a reward for Iran’s military, political and financial efforts in Syria,” as Tehran has exclusive influence there, and the two regions represent a vital starting point for Iranian movement and activity in the region.
What is the impact of Israeli strikes on Iranian militias?
Abdul Rahman says that the Israeli strikes against Iran and its militias in Syria had a significant impact on the activity of the militias loyal to Tehran, as:
It confused the Iranians and the militias loyal to it.
Israel carried out 17 attacks against Iranian sites, which led to the killing of 11 Iranian advisors in Syria.
As for Jaber, he says that it is not only the Israeli strikes that led to a temporary decline in the military activity of Iranian militias, but also the American strikes and the implementation of operations in the security square in Damascus, which resulted in the assassination of Revolutionary Guard leaders or Iranian military advisors.
What are the most prominent militia weapons?
According to estimates, the militias receive money from Iran directly, and use the latest military equipment of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Tehran also sends advanced weapons to these forces via civilian flights to Damascus airport and via cargo ships to the port of Latakia. Among the most prominent of these weapons are:
Advanced short-range “surface-to-surface” missile platforms.
Grad cannons and rocket launchers.
Harakat al-Nujaba and Liwa Fatemiyoun have American weapons as well as individual weapons, including the “Klock” pistol carried by the group leaders.
American Hummer armored vehicles west of the Euphrates.
An American M4 machine gun, known as the “Marine Gunpowder”.
Drones in the city of Deir ez-Zor.
Shoulder-mounted “surface-to-air” missiles near the banks of the Euphrates River in the Deir ez-Zor countryside.
The Imam Hussein Brigade is equipped with strategic weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles and drones, stored in secret warehouses.
