Iran has started constructing airfields for drones in the al-Haidariyah area near al-Mayadin, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
The Observatory said that the Iranian militias had transported diggers and pieces of machinery for construction to those airports at the request of a Hezbollah commander.
Iran, which imposes its influence on at least 40,000 square kilometers in the Syrian desert, from al-Bukamal to the west and south of Palmyra to the southern countryside of Raqqa, began last September to establish a vast military base for advanced weapons.
According to media sources, about 30 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers of various ranks participated in studies to establish the new base.
The disclosure of the construction of the drones’ airfields coincided with the visit of an Iranian delegation headed by the Iranian Minister of Roads and Cities Building, Rostam Qasemi, to Damascus.
Qasemi met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and discussed developing relations and strengthening investment between the two countries.
The meeting also emphasized the continuation of the activities between the bilateral institutions to implement the agreements, overcome all the obstacles, and complete cooperation in service sectors such as electricity and transportation.
Qasemi visited Damascus earlier in January 2022. He previously emphasized boosting the land and sea linkage between Syria and Iran, increasing the number of flights, facilitating the transfer of goods and services, and increasing the volume of trade exchange.
Iranian-Syrian economic relations have increased, as both countries agreed to cancel customs tariffs on goods specified in the free trade agreement with Syria and reactivate the credit line, which delivered ten oil tankers to Syria this year.
Activists told the Observatory that IRGC troops conducted military exercises at their military camp in Mazare al-Haydariyah, Ain Ali shrine, and Mazare Issa in al-Mayadeen in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
They indicated that about 100 Iranian-backed militiamen of the al-Sayyida Zaynab Regiment, the Special Forces Regiment, and the 47th Regiment underwent military exercises.
