Iran increasing military presence in Syria: official

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran is increasing its military presence in Syria, a top commander told Iranian television Monday, October 26, CNN News reports.

Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said Iran is increasing the quality and quantity of its presence in Syria, according to Iranian media. He described their mission as an advisory role to help the Syrian army loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

He said the Iranian officers were providing tactical help for Syrian commanders of battalions in direct battles, as well as weapons and ordnance, operational assistance and help with strategic planning, according to a Tasnim report. He also conceded that the number of Iranian casualties in Syria had increased.

Salami did not say how many Iranians are now in Syria, but a top American commander Tuesday gave senators a general estimate of Iran's military presence in Syria, as well as in Iraq.

"I think there's more than 1,000 Iranians that are on the ground in Iraq," said Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "In Syria, we think the numbers are probably something less than 2,000."