IRGC commander: We are not pulling troops from Syria
Following the firing of two ballistic missiles, an Iranian commander said that US pressure would only bring about more tests and said Iran would continue sending troops to Syria.
Russia’s entrance into the Syrian civil war in September began a large-scale offensive coordinated among Russia, the Syrian army, Hezbollah and Iranian forces against armed organizations opposed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The number of Iranian casualties has since dramatically increased, and Western media have speculated about how long Tehran would continue to send what it calls “advisers” to the frontlines.
At a March 9 press conference, Amir Ali Haji-Zadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, rejected all notions about troop withdrawals. Haji-Zadeh said, “We are with the people of Syria, but the rate of our help to the government and people of Syria is based on the request of the government of Bashar al-Assad.” He added that there has been no suspension in deploying troops to Syria.
