Iranian-backed militia forces in Syria have started removing Islamic Republic's flags from their bases, apparently by the request of the government in Damascus.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Monday that Tehran-linked militias such as LiwaZainebiyoun and Liwa Fatemiyoun are removing the Iranian flags as well as banners of prominent figures upon a request by Damascus.
The symbols of Iran and its proxies are being removed from the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin in Deir ez-Zor governorate and Palmyra in Homs. The banners and flags were replaced with the internationally recognized Syrian flag.
According to the observatory, the development came as part of the Syrian regime's pledge to Arab countries as one of the conditions to rejoin the Arab League, and that Damascus has accepted that Iran-backed militias exit the country. However, the war monitor noted that none of the members of the Iranian-affiliated forces have withdrawn from Syrian territories.
The removal of the flags coincided with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Damascus last week, and the signing of a “long-term strategic comprehensive cooperation” deal in addition to 14 other agreements, and renewing allegiance with groups fighting against Israel.
Official Arab sources have not mentioned any condition put forth for removing. the flags. It is possible however that Iran is trying to keep a lower profile in Syria.
At the same time, it can only be a tactic to avoid frequent Israeli attacks on their bases.
The Arab League readmitted Syria on Sunday after about 13-year-long suspension as President Bashar al-Assad pushes to normalize ties with other Arab nations. Syria had been barred from the organization in 2011 after a brutal government crackdown on anti-Assad protesters, which led to the country’s war.
Foreign ministers from the 22-nation group voted for Syria’s return at a meeting in Cairo ahead of the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19.
The Iranian militias removed their flags that were raised on top of buildings in Ayash warehouses in western Deir ez-Zor countryside, concurrent with the arrival of commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – IRGC -- and Lebanese Hezbollah to Qasem Soleimani camp in the countryside, the observatory said in another report.
The group claimed that a convoy comprised of 12 four-wheel-drive cars of IRGC officers set off from Al-Joura neighborhood on Sunday to Ayash warehouses, where they met with Hezbollah members. “The Iranian militias repositioned and changed their military headquarters in fear of being attacked, following the recent strikes ton their positions,” the observatory claimed.
The restoration of ties with Damascus quickened following the deadly February 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the Chinese-brokered détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.
Emphasizing that the crisis in Syria is not yet over, the Arab League called for resolving the crisis resulting from Syria’s civil war, including the flight of refugees to neighboring countries and drug smuggling across the region.
On Monday, Jordan carried out rare airstrikes on southern Syria, hitting an Iran-linked drugs factory and killing a smuggler allegedly behind big hauls across the two countries' border, local and intelligence sources said.
Almost all of the strikes against Iran-aligned forces in Syria have been carried out by Israel since 2017, which has vowed to prevent the Islamic Republic’s entrenchment in the country. Israeli strikes in recent weeks have seen key Iranian military figures killed from the Revolutionary Guards and the Quds Force.