World press-review on Iranians captured in Syria (August 4-6, 2012)

On August 5, the Washington Post published an article entitled “Syrian rebel

says captured Iranians are pro-government fighters, not pilgrims”

that shares the statement of the Free Syrian Army commander, who claims

that Rebel fighters said on Sunday that 48 Iranians captured in the

Syrian capital were not the pilgrims their government asserts, but

instead were affiliated with Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps,

on a mission to Damascus to help the Syrian government crush the

rebellion. “We warn Iran and all those who stand with the regime: The

fall of this regime is inevitable,” the Washington Post quotes the rebel

commander .

“The allegation underlined the regional dimensions of the conflict, as

rebels backed by pro-Western powers in the Middle East, including

Turkey and Saudi Arabia, battle the regime of President Bashar

al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, for control of towns and cities

across the country,” writes the author of the article, Liz Sly. “If

confirmed, the capture would seem to support long-standing rebel

claims that Iranians have been helping Syrian security forces with

their crackdown on the nearly 17-month-old uprising. U.S. officials

have accused Iran of providing materiel, intelligence and training to

help crush the rebellion,” the article reads.