The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Wednesday, June 23, that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC), with the help of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces(PMF), have built workshops to locally produce missile launch platforms inside Syria.
The Syrian Observatory reported that Iran’s IRGC has turned the area west of the Euphrates into an “Iranian colony” on Syrian soil.
The Syrian organization stressed that Iran’s IRGC and Iraqi PMF forces have tested and fired several missiles using the launchers in the past 24 hours.
According to the same sources, the production of these locally made missile launch platforms began as early as June and late May under the supervision of Iranian experts.
On June 4th, the Syrian Observatory obtained information indicating that the IRGC and PMF were building missile launch platforms for Iranian-made missiles in the al-Mayadeen area.
Production operations are being carried out in the al-Rahba military zone located in al-Mazare’ district. Al-Rahba is the largest gathering location for Iranian IRGC militias on the outskirts of al-Mayadeen.
Given that Iran is currently not fighting ISIS, the Iranian presence and mass production of missiles and launch platforms in Syria has raised concerns among its people and neighboring countries.
In 2014, coinciding with the peace talks at Geneva II, Iran stepped up support for Syrian President Assad.[39] Estimates of financial assistance range from tens to hundreds of billions of dollars.
From January 2013 onward, the Iranian military, primarily the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost more than 2,300 soldiers in Syria. Many of the deaths have been officers, including several high-ranking officers, notably generals.
Thousands of Iranian-backed militiamen consisting of ethnic Afghan and Pakistani immigrants to Iran have also been killed, after joining IRGC-sponsored paramilitary organizations in exchange for salaries ($500 a month for new recruits) and residency papers, in an arrangement similar to a Foreign Legion.
Source: Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
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