Iranian officers reshape Assad’s Shabbiha militia into a second al-Qods
Iranian officers reshape Assad’s Shabbiha militia into a second al-Qods.
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report September 26, 2012, 6:47 PM (GMT+02:00)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has leapt into the Syrian battle arena, undertaking the task of transforming the Alawite Shabbiha militia, which has carried the brunt of Bashar Assad’s brutal suppression of the Syrian opposition for 18 months, into a new corps, retrained and reorganized on the model of the elite Al Qods Brigade.
Al Qods is the IRGC’s arm of clandestine and terrorist operations in Iran’s foreign arenas.
debkafile’s military sources report exclusively that when the Shabbiha is slapped into its new military shape, Bashar Assad will have at his disposal an extra 50-60,000 professional Alawite soldiers under arms – the nucleus of a Syrian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Our sources also reveal that Tehran has promised the Syrian outfit weaponry on a par with the Al Qods arsenal. So, unless he is overthrown in the interim, the Syrian ruler and Iranian government will command the biggest special operations force in the Middle East.
For this project, a massive Iranian airlift of personnel and weapons is running daily from IRGC air bases in Iran into Syria. Most of the planes land at Damascus military airfield; some in other parts of Syria. They are carrying large numbers of IRGC and al Qods military officers and instructors, as well as enough arms to distribute to the Shabbiha combatants during their training and after they go out on field operations.
Our military sources disclose that by mid-week, the number of Iranian military personnel present in Syria had swelled to 2,200. They arrived with the commander of Tehran’s Syrian enterprise, Gen. Ibrahim Hamadani, one of the deputies of Al Qods chief, Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
His Syrian opposite number is Izzat Hassan, head of the Shabbiha.
All US efforts, including personal intercession by President Barack Obama, have failed to dissuade Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from allowing the Iranian military air corridor to Syria take a short cut through Iraqi air space. Maliki has refused to listen.
Tehran’s willingness in these tense times to hazard the withdrawal of thousands of crack officers, commanders and weapons from combat duty in Iran attests to two conclusions reached by Iranian strategists:
1. They estimate that the United States and Israel have shelved plans for an imminent military strike on Iran’s nuclear program.
2. And if a surprise attack is nonetheless launched, thousands of Iranian elite troops will be on hand to menace Israel from the Syrian border without delay.
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WarSclerotic 
September 26, 2012 at 8:47 PM
We are witnesses of a new and very dangerous process: right in front of our eyes Iran is taking over in Syria and this cannot be tolerated. In the long distance, Israel will pay a dearly price if the passivity will be its strategy.
The weak attitude of the USA invites its enemies – and ours – to test the americans. Till now and under the present administration, the americans failed to create deference, and the radical islam is on the march.
There is only one force on this earth who can stop this : Israel.
September 26, 2012 at 11:03 PM
Yep, looks like things are going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. With so many ‘red lines’ being crossed by Tehran, it makes you wonder just which one will be the ‘trigger’. Like the old saying goes, “Give them enough rope and they will hang themselves.”
September 27, 2012 at 7:49 AM
Very true.
September 26, 2012 at 11:29 PM
this is truly appauling as an american to see letting enemies help their friends by killing civilians and letting their dictator live. this uprising in syria is making syria and irans militaries one and will obviously make israels situations alot tougher. the sooner we strike the less of a backlash will occur and we will be forced to strike so its better to get it out of the way
September 27, 2012 at 2:51 AM
Did you really think Iran would let Syria go to Sunni control without a fight? They have dumped far to many resources into the place to let that happen.