Israeli military official: Iran-aligned militias withdrew from positions in Syria
Israeli media reported that a senior Israeli military officer told reporters on Thursday that Lebanon's Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias in Syria have withdrawn from an area in Syria after a series of airstrikes attributed to Israel in recent weeks.
The Israeli military official also stated that the withdrawal of these forces from the area was likely "the result of Israeli army attacks."
Recent airstrikes attributed to Israel in recent weeks have targeted airports in Aleppo and Damascus, reportedly to prevent weapons from being sent from Iran to militant groups such as Hezbollah in Syria.
Another target of airstrikes attributed to Israel was a military center belonging to the Syrian army in Masyaf in Hama province.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday that Iran had "turned Syrian military bases into missile factories."
Benny Gantz, presenting a map of the Syrian Army's defense industrial complex in the Masyaf region, stated that Iran is building "terror industries" in Syria for its needs and has at least ten weapons production bases in Syria.
According to him, Iran has also recently begun building advanced military industries in Yemen and Lebanon.
The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper also wrote on September 1 that after the latest airstrikes attributed to Israel, Russia has asked Iran to "evacuate" some of the deployment centers of its supporting forces in Syria.
According to the London-based newspaper, Russian officers have told their Iranian counterparts that they must evacuate their forces from a large military site in Hama province, where the Syrian army's long-range missiles are stored.
Asharq Al-Awsat published its report citing the statements of "an unnamed Syrian government official," adding that following "Israeli attacks on the airports of Aleppo and Damascus on September 1, Russia has called for the "withdrawal" of Iranian militias and their allies from positions in these areas.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which echoed the Asharq Al-Awsat report, added that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "has been preventing Iran from retaliating for Israeli attacks on Syria for three years in order to prevent an escalation of tensions."
Haaretz wrote that Bashar al-Assad's request was shared with the Iranians during the lifetime of Qassem Soleimani, and after the killing of the commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, Iran has largely complied with this request.
Source: Radio Farda
