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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran's Spy Commander Promises To '€˜Surprise The World' |
| 2015-06-11 |
| [Daily Caller] A top Iranian general promised developments in Syria "will surprise the world" as thousands of Iran-backed troops have been deployed to uphold the regime. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's elite Quds Force, expressed the evolving nature of Iran's involvement in Syria while visiting the northwest region of Latakia in late May, home to the Alawite sect of President Bashar Assad. Soleimani was quoted by Iran's official news agency, IRNA. But the agency claimed it "takes no responsibility for the information," reports Agence France Presse. Between 10,000 and 20,000 Iranian or Iraqi fighters are reportedly moving to defend Damascus and Latakia. A combat brigade team of 1,500 fighters from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will make up the core of the force. Observers should take Soleimani's claim seriously, says Matthew McInnis, an expert at the American Enterprise Institute. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fighters typically take an advisory role to local forces where Iran seeks to exert military control. But as war in Syria has intensified, endangering Iranian ally Bashar Assad, Iran has been pushed into a difficult position. "He has to do it," McInnis told The Daily Caller News Foundation, referencing Soleimani's increasingly limited options for keeping the Assad regime intact. Iranian fighters could become directly involved in combat, specifically around Damascus and in the northwest. This could lead to a "battle-hardened IRGC," breaking the psychological barrier from an advisory position to combat. "Once they've done that, it's going to be easier for them to think about boots on the ground in other areas of the region," said McInnis. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #7 Well how about this quel surprise. Quds forces with US air cover sweep past Damascus & roll over Raqqa. Then we do the nuc deal with Iran & Hezbollah takes over in Syria plus Leb. OB gets another nobel peace prize. |
| Posted by: Alpha2c 2015-06-11 23:05 |
| #6 We may be looking at a repeat. From your mouth to the ear of G*d, Virginian |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2015-06-11 17:04 |
| #5 Rambler, so the analogy goes 'as WW I is to WW II, Iran-Iraq war is to ISIS-Quds war?' And this is the Eastern Front equivalent, such that we would like both sides to lose? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2015-06-11 14:13 |
| #4 Glenmore, look at the Iran - Iraq war. Some estimates say Iran lost as many as 1 million KIA, while Iraq lost as many as 500K. We may be looking at a repeat. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2015-06-11 11:42 |
| #3 ...Nothing I'd enjoy more though than seeing ISIS just hand Quds Force their asses.... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2015-06-11 11:36 |
| #2 At least a hundred IRGC have already been killed in Syria. The escalation implies has, in effect, already taken place. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2015-06-11 09:12 |
| #1 I've been reading about the Somme & Ypres & the Marne; what would it take to get these guys to fighting like that for a few years? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2015-06-11 08:09 |