JERUSALEM – A senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps admitted – with highly surprising candor – in an address subsequently leaked to Western media that Iran had suffered a significant defeat in the wake of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s ouster from the country.
Brig.-Gen. Behrouz Esbati said in a speech last week in Tehran’s Valiasr mosque, “We were defeated and defeated very badly, we took a very big blow, and it’s been very difficult.” According to the report, Esbati added, “I don’t consider losing Syria something to be proud of.”
Esbati’s remarks are a significant departure from Iran’s previously stated official line, which sought – among myriad issues plaguing the Islamic Republic – to downplay the importance of Assad’s Damascus departure. The general also highlighted the fractious relationship between the Iranians and Assad in his final months in power. The Islamic regime had wanted to use Syrian territory to launch proxy attacks against the Jewish state, which Assad reportedly refused. There is a deep irony that Israel’s actions against Hezbollah, mostly in Lebanon, were the catalyst for the push the HTS rebels launched against Assad, toppling his totalitarian state in a matter of days.
Brig. Gen. Behrouz Esbati, a senior #Iran regime general in #Syria who has worked also in the Armed Forces General Staff, gave remarks in recent days where he said “I don’t consider losing Syria something to be proud of. We were defeated, and defeated very badly, we took a very… pic.twitter.com/wR74HA1IVE
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) January 8, 2025
While lamenting the loss of its Syrian base, Esbati stated Iran would continue to operate from Syria, “We can activate all the networks we have worked with over the years,” he said. “We can activate the social layers that our guys lived among for years; we can be active in social media, and we can form resistance cells.” With a strident Turkey now on the march – and maintaining significant influence over the al-Sharaa’s nascent government – that claim will likely be sorely put to the test, as two of the region’s behemoths warily circle each other.
In addition, Esbati criticized Russia’s role in Assad’s downfall, claiming they had “turned off their radar and detection systems,” allowing Israel to attack Iranian military targets in Syria. Like with Iran, Russia has at least removed most – if not all – of its personnel from Syria, although it is likely some of its hardware was left behind.
Esbati’s address is important because it could easily be interpreted as showing there is even a little daylight between the powerful IRGC and the seemingly ailing Ayatollah Khamenei. Rumors and innuendo abound within Iran and analysts who closely watch the Islamic Republic about just how precarious his current position is in Tehran. Indeed, people are extrapolating comparisons with what happened to Assad in Syria and what may happen to Khamenei in Iran. Assad tried to cover up the ineptitude of his leadership which led to hardships for his people, amid political repression and widespread corruption. The similarities with the current Iranian situation are almost impossible to miss.
