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Screenshot of Thawra newspaper’s website featuring a March 28, 2025, report on Iranian interference in Syria
According to a report published by the Syrian newspaper Thawra on March 28, 2025, the Syrian Ministry of Interior launched a security crackdown targeting Hezbollah cells operating in the Sayyidah Zainab area near Damascus. The Rural Damascus Security Directorate, through its account on the platform “X” on March 27, stated that the arrested cells were planning “criminal operations” aimed at destabilizing the region. Syrian media outlets released images showing security forces apprehending three individuals during the operation.
The report highlights escalating tensions between the Iranian regime and Syrian authorities. It mentions that the Syrian Ministry of Defense recently accused Hezbollah operatives of infiltrating Syrian territory, killing three soldiers from the newly established Syrian army. This incident comes amid increasing scrutiny over Tehran’s influence in Syria, which has persisted since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
Thawra details that the Iranian regime has utilized both direct military intervention and proxy forces like Hezbollah to maintain its strategic foothold in Syria for many years. While Hezbollah has been actively involved in operations such as the 2013 battle of Qusayr, the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the slain Qassem Soleimani has played a pivotal role in supporting the Assad regime through military training, intelligence operations, and active suppression of anti-regime protests.
#Iran News: Syrian Army Launches Offensive Against Tehran-Backed Hezbollah on #Lebanon Borderhttps://t.co/et6sy67zJV
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 18, 2025
The article also notes that the regime’s involvement in Syria extends beyond Hezbollah. It cites direct intervention by IRGC forces since the early days of the conflict, with claims that the IRGC had lost over 2,100 fighters by March 2017. Furthermore, Thawra accuses Iran of supporting the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons, specifically referencing the 2013 Ghouta attacks that resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths. The report contends that Iran, alongside Russia and Hezbollah, has provided crucial support for these military operations.
According to the report, the border between Syria and Lebanon has become a key corridor for Hezbollah’s illicit activities, including arms and drug smuggling—activities allegedly conducted with Iranian coordination and support. The 375-kilometer border has seen increasing conflict in recent months, with multiple reports pointing to Hezbollah’s involvement in cross-border operations.
#Iran News: Tehran’s Desperate Bid to Fuel Insurgency in #Syria’s Coastal Region Exposedhttps://t.co/AY7AElj62n
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 8, 2025
The Thawra report concludes by emphasizing that the Iranian regime’s continued interference in Syria—whether through direct military involvement or through proxy forces like Hezbollah—remains a central issue affecting regional stability and security. The crackdown on Hezbollah cells in Sayyidah Zainab underscores the ongoing tensions between Tehran and Damascus over the extent of Iranian influence in the region.
The clerical regime in Iran has been mobilizing not only IRGC forces but also the Zeynabiyoun and Fatemiyoun brigades to Syria since the uprising in 2011. Ostensibly, this mobilization was justified by the need to preserve the Sayyidah Zainab holy site from alleged threats posed by Salafi and Sunni insurgents. However, reports indicate that the new Syrian government has since taken over the responsibility for safeguarding and maintaining the Shiite site, following the ousting of the Assad regime.