Iran’s top military official in Syria, Brig. Gen. Behrouz Esbati, has made headlines with his unusually candid admission of a substantial defeat for Iran's interests following the recent downfall of ally Bashar al-Assad. This declaration stands in stark opposition to the more muted responses from other Iranian leaders, who have downplayed the situation in Syria as merely a shift in political dynamics.
In a speech delivered last week at a mosque in Tehran, an audio recording of which was released by Abdi Media, General Esbati did not mince words when he stated, “I don’t consider losing Syria something to be proud of. We were defeated, and defeated very badly; we took a very big blow, and it’s been very difficult.”
Esbati elaborated that tensions had been building between Iran and al-Assad's administration for several months before the latter's ousting, highlighting that Assad had repeatedly turned down requests from Iranian-backed militias to mount operations against Israel from Syrian territory following the recent Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. Additionally, the general alleged that Iran had proposed comprehensive military strategies aimed at using its resources in Syria to engage Israel, which were ultimately dismissed by Assad.
Adding more layers to the narrative, Esbati called out Russia for allegedly providing misleading intelligence about their military engagement in the region. He claimed that Russian forces had facilitated Israeli strikes against Iranian targets by turning off their radars during pivotal moments.
This unexpected acknowledgment from a leading Iranian figure not only reveals internal divisions regarding the country’s strategic failures in Syria but also raises pressing questions about Iran's future role and influence in the beleaguered country as it navigates a complex and evolving geopolitical landscape.
