Russia has asked the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to demand from its militias to leave their headquarters that are located in the vicinity of the Deir Ezzor military airport, as well as other areas in Deir Ezzor city in Syria’s east.
The representative of Russian forces deployed in Syria met with an IRGC representative in Deir Ezzor on Friday to make the demand, said local media sources.
According to the Deir Ezzor 24 outlet, the Russian general called on the IRGC to empty all Iranian positions located near the airport and other significant buildings nearby.
Days earlier, Damascus, with Russian backing, had reined in the activities of the Iran- and Hezbollah-aligned militias to avoid any Israeli strikes.
Local sources in Deir Ezzor told Asharq Al-Awsat that Damascus’ orders have shaken the “trust” between the Iranian and Lebanese militia leaders with the Syrian members of these militias. The leaderships have since ordered raids on homes of members believed to have leaked security information to foes.
Israel has been striking Hezbollah positions throughout Lebanon during its war against the country and Damascus fears Tel Aviv could expand its campaign to Syrian territories. Israel already carries out attacks against Iranian locations in Syria in an attempt to prevent Tehran’s entrenchment.
Separately, the sources said relations have grown strained between Hezbollah’s Lebanese members and Syrian government forces. They revealed that quarrels have broken out between Hezbollah members, tasked with transferring displaced Lebanese families to Iraq through Deir Ezzor, with government forces manning checkpoints.
The Hezbollah members believe that Damascus has “let them down” amid a growing hostility towards Iran among even civilians who support Iran.
People who have habitually supported Iran have grown fed up with its presence and the institutions it set up with the aim of creating a supportive cultural and educational foundation for it in Deir Ezzor.
Moreover, over 20 members of a pro-IRGC militia in the Alboukamal region fled towards regions held by the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the Nahr Media network on Friday.
They fled because they feared being targeted in an Israeli strike, it explained.
In Alboukamal, the network said the so-called “Iranian security office” raided an Iranian militia building, arresting one of its members on charges of leaking information to “hostile parties.”
