Iranian Militias Deployed in Central Syria after Russia's Withdrawal

Russian military vehicles are seen in eastern Ghouta near Douma, in Damascus, Syria April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho
Russian military vehicles are seen in eastern Ghouta near Douma, in Damascus, Syria April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho
TT
20

Iranian Militias Deployed in Central Syria after Russia's Withdrawal

Russian military vehicles are seen in eastern Ghouta near Douma, in Damascus, Syria April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho
Russian military vehicles are seen in eastern Ghouta near Douma, in Damascus, Syria April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces, the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Fourth Division led by Major General Maher al-Assad, have reinforced their military presence in the Mahin military warehouse in the eastern countryside of Homs - the second largest arms and ammunition depot in Syria.

The move came following the withdrawal operation by the Russian forces and the Fifth Brigade towards Palmyra Military Airport.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that huge military IRGC reinforcements arrived to the area in the past two days, with around 40 military vehicles, equipped with medium machine guns, while others carried members of the Lebanese Hezbollah.

A number of armored vehicles transported Fourth Division forces to the Mahin military warehouses east of Homs, the sources added.

“With this operation, the strategic Mahin warehouses, located east of Homs, became completely subject to the Iranian militias, the pro-Iran Fourth Division, and the Lebanese Hezbollah, following the withdrawal of the Russian forces,” the sources underlined, noting that the warehouses constitute one of the largest reserves of weapons and ammunition within a geographical area surrounded by mountains and valleys.

Over the past years, the strategic warehouses, which include about 25 fortified depots, have witnessed violent battles between the conflicting forces in Syria.

After the expansion of the influence of ISIS in the Syrian Badia between 2013 and 2015, the organization carried out a surprise attack during which it was able to control the warehouses. The regime forces later regained the area until the Russian intervention.

Russian and IRGC forces used the depots to store weapons and ammunition to support the military operations against ISIS in the Homs desert.



Sudan Army Says Retakes Khartoum-Area Market from RSF

 A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)
A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Sudan Army Says Retakes Khartoum-Area Market from RSF

 A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)
A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)

The Sudanese army said on Saturday it had taken control of a major market in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, long used by its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a staging ground for attacks.

It is the latest conquest in the army's major offensive this month to wrest back control of the entire capital region, which includes Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri -- three cities split by branches of the River Nile.

The blitz saw the army recapture the presidential palace on March 21, followed by the war-damaged airport and other key sites in the city center.

In a statement, army spokesman Nabil Abdullah said forces extended "their control over Souq Libya in Omdurman" and seized "weapons and equipment left behind by" the RSF as they fled.

Souq Libya, one of the largest and busiest in the Khartoum area, had for months been an RSF stronghold and a launchpad for attacks on northern and central Omdurman since the war with the army began on April 15, 2023.

While the army already controls much of Omdurman, the RSF still holds ground in the city's west, particularly in Ombada district.

Late Thursday, the military spokesman said that the army had "cleansed" Khartoum itself from "the last pockets" of the RSF.

Sudan's war began almost two years ago during a power struggle between the army and the RSF, a paramilitary force that was once its ally.

Khartoum has seen more than 3.5 million of its people flee since the war began, according to the United Nations. Millions more, unable or unwilling to leave, live among abandoned buildings, wrecked vehicles and what the army says are hidden mass graves.

The war has carved Sudan in two: the army holds sway in the east and north while the RSF controls most of Darfur in the west, and parts of the south.