After changing their positions over the past few days, it seems that the leadership of Pro-Iranian militias in Syria It instructed its various armed formations to completely stop their military activities and abide by their headquarters, according to what local sources confirmed to Al-Arabiya.net from the Syrian city of Al-Mayadin, which is located in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor governorate, where these armed groups are heavily present.
What raised many questions about this decision, its reasons and implications, especially since it came at a sensitive time for what the nuclear negotiations are going through.
Three reasons
Commenting on these questions, the expert on Iranian affairs, Wejdan Abdel Rahman, said that there are three reasons why the militias have suspended their military activities.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya.net, he added that Tehran was forced to take this decision against the background of Russia’s withdrawal of its air defenses from Syria, which made targeting them easier compared to before, and also to avoid any new strikes targeting its sites by Israel, in addition to that Moscow recently asked Tehran Do not provoke Tel Aviv.
US forces in Deir Ezzor (archive – AFP)
However, he stressed that this step “is not related to the nuclear negotiations,” considering that “Tehran uses during these talks many of its strengths, including high uranium enrichment and attacking US forces in Syria and Iraq, in addition to its allies in the region, as happens when targeting the Kurdistan region of Iraq.” .
An American drone above its centers
For his part, Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed that “Iran fears intensive targeting of its forces and positions in Syria by the Americans and the Israelis alike, especially with the presence of American reconnaissance planes over its militia positions inside Syrian territory, and therefore instructed it to suspend its activities.”
Yesterday, the observatory indicated that the militia leadership had instructed its various armed formations to completely stop their military activities and impose a penalty in the event of an individual violation if they did not abide by this decision.
US forces in Deir Ezzor (archive – AFP)
Detention of fighters
Meanwhile, Al-Arabiya.net obtained information that Iranian militias have detained Syrian fighters after accusing them of collaborating with external parties, which facilitated the identification of sites recently targeted by Israel.
Meanwhile, the director of the observatory revealed the presence of “agents” of the international coalition led by Washington, in the ranks of the Iranian militias.
It is noteworthy that these militias had begun to change their positions, especially in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor governorate, since the third of September, after an Israeli targeting of a number of their positions in the countryside of Aleppo and the capital, Damascus.
It moved the missile platforms that it had installed in an area within the city of Al-Mayadin, towards the second oil pumping station in the south of Deir ez-Zor governorate.
It also transferred field guns to locations southwest of Deir ez-Zor governorate, numbering 10 heavy guns, with their crews and trainers for topography and dealing with coordinates of Lebanese nationality, according to what the Syrian Observatory reported.
It was not known specifically whether these moves were in preparation for an upcoming Iranian targeting of US forces in Syria, or to rely on Iranian drones in the coming period, instead of guns and missiles.