Is Iran retreating from Syria?

Iranian military commanders have responded to reports in Western media that their country’s presence in Syria has decreased due to a mounting death toll in recent months.

In an interview with Fars News Agency on Dec. 22, Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami, the deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was asked about “claims from Western media” regarding Iran’s decreasing deployment of forces in Syria. “Decreasing or increasing forces at any scene is a natural act,” Salami said. “But our strategy in this area and our roles in the battlefield and arena of politics have in no way been decreased.”