The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seeks to recruit volunteers in the east of Euphrates after thousands have joined its ranks from west of the river to the Syrian south

In a hostile environment, Iran is trying to find a place for it, trying to dye its presence with a purely Syrian pigment, justifying its movements in front of its international opponents and judges, who vows it with war, isolation, or expelling from the Syrian territory, and after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the extensive movements of the Iranians starting by its Revolutionary Guards until the militias operating under its command, from the West Euphrates strip to the strip with the occupied Syrian Golan, and the enlisting of thousands of civilians and former fighters of the factions, the Syrian Observatory monitored Iran’s activity moving to the area east of Euphrates, and the Syrian Observatory learned that active Syrian cells are operating in the east of Euphrates area in al-Raqqah and Deir Ezzor, reliable sources confirmed that members of their cells of the Syrian nationality are working to recruit fighters in the ranks of the forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, where they enlisted several youths and transferred them to areas controlled by the Iranian Forces west of Euphrates, while the trusted sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the Syria Democratic Forces carried out several arrests against people on charges of working to recruit volunteers in the ranks of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and pro-Iran militias.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the increase in number of people who volunteered among the Iranian forces and their loyal militias recently to about 1270 Syrian youths and men of different ages, within the west of Euphrates River area in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, while the Syrian Observatory documented that the number of people who volunteered in the Syrian south have reached more than 2390, also members of the Iranian forces have been seen repeatedly wandering in the countryside of Daraa and Quneitra, and the last of what was monitored by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is the conflict through food aid: the 8 years in which most of the Syrian territory suffered from the war, fighting, destruction, and shelling, and at the same time, it resulted in hunger, poverty, poor purchasing power, and displacement for the citizens, and have made it possible for the forces that want to create a Syrian base for their existence to play in the stadium of feelings; allowing them to play on the chord of poor living conditions that have increased with the presence of these conflicting forces, and the Syrian Observatory monitored the distribution of aid by Russian Forces during the last 72 hours in areas the western and northwest sectors of Hama countryside, distributing gifts for children and humanitarian and food aid, within areas near the contact lines with the “jihadis”, Islamic, and rebel factions within the demilitarized area, also the Iranian forces are exploiting the needs of the people in the west of Euphrates, the Syrian south, and the areas between them, in addition to providing them with humanitarian and food assistance through charity kitchens and other centers that supply the citizens with assistance, and providing salaries to volunteers starting from 150$ US dollars.

And the Syrian Observatory monitored in recent weeks a political and regional conflict over a land that is not for them, two allies for one party, and at the same time they are allied with one of the enemies of their first ally, they are Russia and Iran, who are competing and fighting for influence within the Syrian territory, while at the same time they are allied with Turkey which is considered by the Syrian regime as its worst enemies, and at a time when a tripartite meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to be held, the Syrian areas is witnessing the embodiment of this conflict in various forms, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Iranian forces -amid this hostility- continuing its intellectual incursions to expand its military influence and control inside the Syrian territory, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continued movement of Iranian Forces in recruiting more members within its ranks, approaching the population and carrying out more “Shi’ism” operations by joining more residents to the Shiite doctrine by paying money, providing aid, or trying to resolve unresolved issues among the people.

The beginning of the Russian stop for Iran inside the Syrian territory and getting it out of the internal solutions and participation in it -despite the Iranian military expansion and at the negotiations level-, was after the stop of the military operation of the regime forces and its allies, after the control of Abu al-Duhur airbase and after they had enough with what the regime forces advanced to, after it managed to control a large number of villages in the eastern and southeastern sectors of Idlib countryside, and the Russians and the regime refrained from advancing to break the siege of al-Fu’ah and Kafriya towns in the northeastern countryside of Idlib, which were inhabited by Shiite citizens with thousands of fighters of both towns, then, Iran and its allies refrained from participating in the process of the Eastern Ghouta or they were prevented by the Russians, while Russia did not start the operations in the south except after a Russian-regional consensus on the return of Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah to a 40 km distance away of the border strip with the occupied Syrian Golan, and after its military withdrawal; the process of controlling the Syrian south began, while the Syrian Observatory monitored earlier the Russian proposal for Hezbollah and Iranians to withdraw and head towards the west of Euphrates to fight the “Islamic State” Organization, after the Iranian forces and Hezbollah refused to go to the Syrian south, and that took place during negotiations about the south of Damascus and the south of Rif Dimashq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned on the 6th of January 2019 from several reliable sources that a group of religious figures of the Shiite community of Iranian nationality; visited al-Mayadin city west of Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and in the details obtained by the Observatory: the delegation visited the city and entered al-Tamr  neighborhood which is controlled by the Iranian Forces in al-Mayadin city, where they carried out a an extensive meeting attended by dignitaries and notables from al-Mayadeen city and its countryside, with the presence of Mukhtars of Boqruss, Sa’lu, Mahkan, al-Zabari, and al-Quriyah which administratively follows al-Mayadin city, and personalities from the known families in al-Mayadin city, and the reliable sources told the Syrian Observatory that the delegation urged the youths in the city and its countryside to return to their areas, and to join the ranks of the Iranian Forces and the militias loyal to them, and that the affiliation of the wanted youths to the aforementioned forces will remove the security prosecution from them, and that the young men must join their ranks to defend the “religious sanctities”, and at the end the delegation visit Ein Ali area, which was transformed by Iranian forces into a shrine of the Shiite sect, where the Iranians built a Husseinieh and Mazar in Ein Ali area, and the Syrian Observatory monitored earlier the arrival of buses transporting Iranians of the “Shiite visitors” of Iranians, Syrians, and Iraqis, and carrying out Shiite sectarian rituals in the area, which is witnessing a large military presence of the Iranian Forces.

This expansion by the Iranian Forces comes at a time of where they face regional and international hostilities against their presence on the Syrian ground, with an urgent demand for their withdrawal and departure from the country, However, despite the increasing hostility, these forces continue to find a place for them, and as usual; Iran works to go deep in the ideological aspect when it is difficult to go deep in the military aspect, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Iranian Forces continuing to recruit fighters and members within their ranks, in addition to getting closer to the population and converting people to “Shiite sect”, through joining more people to it, by paying money or providing aid or attempting to resolve outstanding issues for the population, where it rose to about 1270 persons of different ages, the number of people who volunteered in the west of Euphrates area in the countryside of Deir Ezzor.

Where the Syrian Observatory monitored that this enlisting includes both former defected members of the regime forces and those wishing to “settle their situation,” as well as former fighters in ranks of regime’s opponents, and other citizens the sources said that most of them were from al-Quriyah area in the countryside of al-Mayadin city, the sources told the Syrian Observatory that the process of luring the citizens to come was through a monthly salary, and letting them choosing the place of service between going to the battlefronts or stay at the training center west of Euphrates River, in addition to the immunity from the regime forces and from being arrested, where they are enlisted for monthly salaries vary from west of Euphrates to the south of Syria, where these salaries start from US $ 150, depending on its proximity to the Syrian border with the occupied Syrian Golan, where the salary increases as the distance to the occupied Syrian Golan gets closer, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored continuous attempts by the Iranians to entice civilians in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor on the road to Tehran – Beirut, trying to establish an popular base in the area, which will prevent the loss of the strategic road between Iranian capital Tehran and the Lebanese capital Beirut, which is used by the Iranian forces mainly. these enticing attempts come through their attempts to return the rights of the residents, of those whose belongings were seized by volunteers and conscripts in the Iranian militias, to earn the love of the population and satisfy them and to push them to join their ranks, they also distribute food, clothes, blankets, and other daily tools and study tools, all of them have Persian writings, and the Iranian forces through their spreading are preventing the regime forces from abusing the population and return their belongings to them, where the people now go to the Iranian forces to get back their stolen property taken rights by the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them.