Iran begins to evacuate commanders as forces abandon Assad

Iran has started to evacuate military commanders from Syria, in a sign that the regime is losing faith in Bashar al-Assad’s ability to hold back a rebel uprising.

Tehran has sent commanders and staff back to neighbouring Lebanon and Iraq, the New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials and “regional officials.”

The surprise rebel offensive is advancing so quickly that its troops were, as of Saturday, within 12 miles (20km) of the southern gate of Damascus, Hassan Abdul Ghani, the rebel commander, said.

Senior commanders in Iran’s Quds force, the elite branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC], were among those evacuated from Syria, along with diplomatic staff and their families.

The evacuations, both by air and across land borders, were ordered from the Iranian embassy in Damascus and several Revolutionary Guard bases in Syria.

Along with Russia, Iran is the Syrian regime’s biggest military supporter and its decision to withdraw key personnel does not bode well for Assad, who seems to be rapidly losing his grip on power.

The evacuation comes after the Telegraph learned that the swift advance of Syrian rebels had caught the Iranian regime off-guard, and that they have been reluctant to send in reinforcements.

In Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, the regime gave swift orders for Iranian commanders to retreat amid a lack of faith in Assad.

“There is nothing left to offer Assad, and he is no longer as favourable as he was 14 years ago,” one IRGC official said. “Any support now would likely come only from IRGC-affiliated forces using whatever resources they currently have.”

He added: “Assad has lost much of his value, and with the new president’s influence over the IRGC and his intent to engage with the West, substantial support seems highly unlikely.”

Referring to Afghans fighting for Assad under Iranian command, the official said: “Orders were given for Iranian forces in Aleppo to retreat immediately, while the Fatemiyoun and other allied groups were instructed to stay and continue fighting.”

IRGC officials have doubts that Assad is worth defending as he seems to be unable to handle “a few terrorists,” one said.

“He [Assad] has proven that no matter how much support he receives, he cannot push back even a few terrorists from his territory,” an IRGC official told The Telegraph from Tehran.

“He’s just a moron who couldn’t build a proper government in 10 years, and his forces surrendered without firing a single bullet,” a member of the IRGC-affiliate Basij paramilitary force in Tehran told The Telegraph.

The surprise, rebel-led offensive this month has radically changed the dynamic of the civil war in Syria, which had previously been at a near-standstill in Assad’s favour.

In just over a week, the rebels have captured territory in four provinces, entered major cities like Aleppo and Hama, and are advancing on the capital of Damascus.

The rebel coalition is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a Sunni Islamist group waging a “popular jihad” on Assad.