{"id":38034,"date":"2025-05-20T11:23:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T11:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/?p=38034"},"modified":"2025-05-20T11:23:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T11:23:43","slug":"shadow-conflict-in-deir-ezzor-irans-quiet-persistence-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/20\/05\/2025\/shadow-conflict-in-deir-ezzor-irans-quiet-persistence-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Shadow Conflict in Deir Ezzor: Iran\u2019s Quiet Persistence in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deep in Syria\u2019s eastern desert, Deir Ezzor has become a complex arena for covert conflict that transcends national borders. Years of direct and indirect Iranian influence in the region, which reportedly involved more than 18,000 local loyalist fighters at its peak, have given way to a new phase following the fall of the former regime.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Vanished Commanders, Persistent Networks<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the visible war draws to a close, a quieter but equally dangerous chapter begins. Dormant cells backed by Iran are becoming more active amid growing political and security challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent months, Syria\u2019s new government has launched a series of security operations, arresting dozens of local fighters affiliated with Iran. However, these operations have barely scratched the surface. Thousands of individuals who once served within Iranian-backed structures remain at large.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Samir Suleiman (a pseudonym), a former member of an Iran-aligned militia in Deir Ezzor, told +963 that over 90% of local commanders from Iranian factions have gone underground. \u201cThey received advanced training and still possess light and medium weapons hidden in remote or undisclosed areas,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Read also: <a href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/12\/05\/2025\/a-river-that-no-longer-nourishes-deir-ezzors-water-crisis-deepens\/#\">A River That No Longer Nourishes: Deir Ezzor\u2019s Water Crisis Deepens<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These groups continue to receive orders from Iranian operatives moving between Syria and Iraq, particularly in towns near the border. Communications are managed through encrypted channels, and operations are carried out with precision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suleiman revealed that the cells primarily target local figures who oppose Iran\u2019s agenda, using assassinations, threats, and covert intelligence meetings to reorganize and rebuild support networks. Many fighters reportedly wear uniforms of the new government\u2019s forces, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish them\u2014especially amid the chaotic security environment in Deir Ezzor, where dozens of military factions operate without formal documentation or identification.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Existential Battle<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residents are increasingly concerned that these cells are positioning themselves as successors to the ousted Iranian factions, exploiting the region\u2019s social and economic disarray.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A senior official in Deir Ezzor\u2019s General Security Directorate, speaking to +963 on condition of anonymity, said the transitional administration is operating on several fronts to dismantle Iran\u2019s influence in the region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These efforts include intensifying intelligence coordination with regional and international partners to track financial transfers and suspicious communications, enhancing security operations through specialized units supported by local intelligence to strike sleeper cells preemptively, and fostering social engagement by working with civil organizations to promote reintegration and counter sectarian narratives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIran wants to turn Deir Ezzor into a political bargaining chip in the broader Syrian negotiations,\u201d the official said, \u201cbut for us, this is an existential fight, not just a security issue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, challenges on the ground remain daunting. Many fighters are not mere mercenaries but former regime loyalists or ex-opposition members with deep community ties, complicating efforts to root them out. The official stressed that security operations alone are insufficient without a political approach that addresses public demands, particularly for basic services and dismantling Iran\u2019s parallel economic networks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Activist Sobhi al-Mohammad warned that pro-Iranian elements may attempt to reclaim influence through subtler tactics\u2014such as forming hybrid militias combining local, Iraqi, and Iranian fighters, or leveraging the economic crisis to recruit unemployed youth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Read also: <a href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/22\/04\/2025\/deir-ez-zor-residents-battle-to-reclaim-homes-from-iran-backed-brokers\/#\">Deir ez-Zor Residents Battle to Reclaim Homes from Iran-Backed Brokers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Secret Prisons, Mass Graves<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdelhai Ismail (a pseudonym), a commander with one of the Defense Ministry-affiliated factions, said that after the regime\u2019s fall, new government forces seized most of the former military headquarters used by Iranian militias. However, many rural outposts were abandoned due to rising ISIS activity and lack of manpower.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of the Iranian factions\u2019 bases were in confiscated civilian homes. Upon reclaiming them, some locations\u2014such as the &#8220;Ain Ali&#8221; base\u2014were found to contain secret detention centers and torture chambers. According to one former fighter, no detainees were found alive. He claimed that all were executed before Iranian forces withdrew and were buried in a nearby graveyard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Defense Ministry source told +963 that about 80% of the weapons once held by Iranian factions were transferred to Iraq. Some arms were recovered by local civilians, while others remain in the possession of former loyalists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the regime&#8217;s collapse, eight mass graves have been discovered, containing the remains of civilians, detainees, and even children. Activist Khader al-Khalaf from the town of al-Mayadin told +963 that hundreds of Deir Ezzor residents are still missing, presumed killed and buried in unmarked mass graves.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deep in Syria\u2019s eastern desert, Deir Ezzor has become a complex arena for covert conflict that transcends national borders. Years of direct and indirect Iranian influence in the region, which reportedly involved more than 18,000 local loyalist fighters at its peak, have given way to a new phase following the fall of the former regime. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":38035,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"0","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"left-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"g:i a d\/m\/Y","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"5","zoom_button_in_step":"4","show_post_tag":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"ran\u2019s Presence in Syria After the Regime\u2019s Fall: Rising Challenges and Emerging Threats"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,19],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[389],"class_list":["post-38034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions","category-slider"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.2 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Shadow Conflict in Deir Ezzor: Iran\u2019s Quiet Persistence in Syria - 963+<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/20\/05\/2025\/shadow-conflict-in-deir-ezzor-irans-quiet-persistence-in-syria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shadow Conflict in Deir Ezzor: Iran\u2019s Quiet Persistence in Syria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Deep in Syria\u2019s eastern desert, Deir Ezzor has become a complex arena for covert conflict that transcends national borders. Years of direct and indirect Iranian influence in the region, which reportedly involved more than 18,000 local loyalist fighters at its peak, have given way to a new phase following the fall of the former regime. 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Years of direct and indirect Iranian influence in the region, which reportedly involved more than 18,000 local loyalist fighters at its peak, have given way to a new phase following the fall of the former regime. 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