A new report in AFP reveals how Iran and Hezbollah abandoned former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad just days before his ousting, fleeing Syria in a hasty retreat as Islamist-led rebels stormed Damascus last December.
For years, Tehran had been Assad’s strongest ally, sending Revolutionary Guards and military advisers, while Hezbollah and fighters from Iraq and Afghanistan held key positions. But as rebel forces advanced, Iran’s support collapsed overnight, according to the report.
Syrian officers recalled the shock announcement. On December 5, in Damascus’s Mazzeh district, Iranian commander Hajj Abu Ibrahim told around 20 Syrian personnel: “From today, there will be no more Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria. We’re leaving.”
“It’s all over. From today, we are no longer responsible for you.”
Orders were given to destroy sensitive documents and remove hard drives. Soldiers received one month’s salary before being dismissed. Two days later, Assad fled to Russia, and Damascus fell without resistance.
Iran’s diplomatic corps also fled, the AFP report revealed. By the evening of December 5, the consulate in Damascus was deserted as diplomats crossed into Lebanon. Syrian employees reported massive bottlenecks at Jdeidet Yabus border crossing, with waits of up to eight hours. Staff were told to stay home and were paid three months’ salary. By December 6, Iran’s embassy, consulate, and security posts stood empty.
Iranian forces had entrenched themselves in Damascus suburbs, around the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, near the airport, and along the Lebanese and Iraqi borders. Aleppo was another staging ground. But when Aleppo fell, Colonel Mohammad Dibo, now serving in Syria’s new army, said bluntly, “Iran stopped fighting.”
The retreat was chaotic. A former Syrian officer said senior Iranian commander Hajj Jawad and others were evacuated to Russia’s Hmeimim base before flying to Tehran. Dibo added that some 4,000 Iranian personnel were evacuated through the same base, while others fled via Iraq or Lebanon. In their haste, Iranian officers left behind passports and identity documents.