Over the last two days, a significant deployment of elite forces associated with Iranian militias, totaling in the hundreds, has been observed along the Syrian border, specifically in the southwestern outskirts of Damascus and the Quneitra countryside.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that these forces consist of individuals from Iraqi, Syrian, and Afghan nationalities affiliated with the Fatimiyoun Brigade.
Some of them entered from Iraq, while others came from different regions in Syria and they are being deployed to areas where the Lebanese Hezbollah is already present.
Boutros Merjaneh, the head of the Committee for Arab and Foreign Affairs in the Syrian Parliament, has cast doubt on the likelihood of Damascus taking military action against Israel in response to recent missile attacks on Syrian airports.
“I believe the current situation may be more complex than Syria engaging in any military action against Israel at this time,” said Merjaneh.
He, however, emphasized that Syria retains the right to respond to such attacks.
According to the Observatory, the deployment of these elite forces occurred without prior coordination with the Syrian government forces, which have declined involvement in any confrontation with Israel.
Reports suggest that Syrian military leadership recently instructed its forces not to fire any bullets or shells towards Israeli-occupied territories.
According to sources, the firing of shells that has occurred from time to time is carried out individually by group leaders in the region.
