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.
