IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami speaking in the wake of Bashar al-Assad regime collapse.
“Some in political, intellectual, and public circles are promoting that the military of the Islamic Republic of Iran has lost its regional arms. No, the system has not lost its arms. We make decisions and act based on our internal capacities and capabilities to fight the infidels.”
The fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria is a major blow to Tehran, but Iranian officials are not taking the blame. Per reporting by state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), on 10 December 2024, just days after Assad’s overthrow, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander-in-chief Hossein Salami told a gathering of fellow commanders that “Some in political, intellectual, and the public circles are promoting that the military of the Islamic Republic of Iran has lost its regional arms. No, the system has not lost its arms,” referring to its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip known as the Resistance Axis.[i] He added, “We make decisions and act based on our internal capacities and capabilities to fight the infidels.”[ii]
Salami seemed to cast blame on the Assad regime’s military and political apparatus for not heeding their warnings months before about the movements of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other anti-regime groups. Salami, who said the IRGC tried its best to preserve the regime, also justified why the IRGC did not intervene: “Some expected us to fight instead of the Syrian Army. Is it logical that we involve all the IRGC and basij in a battle of another country when the army of that country is just a spectator?” Still, Salami was proud to note that the IRGC was the last to leave Syria. Interestingly, he compared Hezbollah in Lebanon to Assad, noting how the militant group was able to survive the events of recent months—the Israeli onslaught, twin communication attacks, and the assassination of its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
The commander-in-chief appeared to not give up on Syria and the Resistance Axis. He explained, “It is not that all paths are limited to Syria. It is also possible that there, too, little by little, it will take a different shape again.” While much of the Resistance Axis has crumbled, the IRGC is not giving up on its project of exporting the Islamic revolution abroad and is merely readjusting its security strategy to the post-October 7 world. [iii]
Sources:
“سردار سلامی: بچههای سپاه تا لحظه آخر در سوریه بودند (Commander Salimi: The children of the IRGC were in Syria until the last moment),” Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (state broadcaster), 12 December 2024. https://www.iribnews.ir/00ITrZ.
According to IRIB, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, on Tuesday, 10 December 2024, in a gathering of IRGC commanders, explained the causes and consequences of recent security and military events in Syria, highlighting the most important parts as follows:
Some expected us to fight instead of the Syrian army. Is it logical that we involve all of the IRGC and basij in a battle of another country when the army of that country is just a spectator? Furthermore, all the routes to Syria were closed. Day and night, the system really attempted to help in any way it could. We have to live with the realities of Syria. We see the realities, and we act on the facts. However, let me proudly tell all of you this: The last people in the line of resistance in Syria who left were IRGC folks. The last person who left this battlefield was a guard. Strategies must change according to circumstances. We cannot address many global and regional issues with stagnation and stability in strategies.
From months before, we were aware of the movements of militants and takfiris (referring to Jihadists). Even our brothers were able to use intelligence tactics to find their axes of attack and transfer them to the political and military levels in Syria. However, because there was no will to change, fighting and perseverance did not exist in their true sense; unfortunately, this incident you saw took place. In contrast, look at Hezbollah, which has been able to pull itself out from under the heavy rubble of bombings and was able to find hope in strength in a truly unbelievable scene.
We thank God Almighty that the resistance front has become independent from our geography. Hezbollah still exists, it’s alive, it’s vibrant. The face of the Zionist regime (referring to Israel) is now met with political hatred in the world. These are major defeats in any form…
Some in political, intellectual, and the public circles are promoting that the military of the Islamic Republic of Iran has lost its regional arms. No, the system has not lost its arms. We make decisions and act based on our internal capacities and capabilities to fight the infidels. We have a strong political logic to fight, we have a strong legitimacy to defend. We have a great nation to stand firm. We have a great leader to provide guidance and inspiration. We have powerful armed forces. They have not been touched. If we had become weakened, we would not have fulfilled our honest promises.
Now, the paths are open to back the resistance front. It is not that all paths are limited to Syria. It is also possible that there, too, little by little it will take a different shape again.
Notes:
[i] The Axis of Resistance is a self-described informal coalition of Iranian supported militias and political organizations across the Middle East. The Axis includes Hamas in Gaza, the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon; the Houthi movement in Yemen; and various Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq and Syria. See: “What is Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’?” Reuters (global news service), 13 April 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/what-is-irans-axis-resistance-which-groups-are-involved-2024-01-29/; Lucas Winter, “Gaza War’s Impact on the Middle East Strategic Landscape,” FMSO, June 2024. https://fmso.tradoc.army.mil/2024/gaza-wars-impact-on-the-middle-east-strategic-landscape-lucas-winterjune-2024/
[ii] The comments were made as many Iranian officials and the public alike began to question the merits of having spent more than a decade propping up the Assad regime financially—between $30 to $50 billion—and materially with weapons, training, and troops. See: “‘Iran was Defeated Very Badly’ in Syria a Top General Admits,” The New York Times, 8 January 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/world/middleeast/iran-general-syria-defeat.html
[iii] “Iran has no regrets over Syria costs, says national security chief,” Iran International, 20 December 2024. https://www.iranintl.com/en/202412207613.
Image Information:
Image: IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami speaking in the wake of Bashar al-Assad regime collapse.
Source: Semi-official Islamic Republic News Agency, 12 December 2024. https://www.iribnews.ir/00ITrZ
Attribution: CCA-SA 4.0 Intl.