The Emirates Center for Studies considered that the absence of the former Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani, had greatly affected the Iranian influence in Syria, and also confused Iran’s militias there, pointing to the link of the Syrian file with the Iranian regime, to the person of “Soleimani” and his relationship with the arrangements that It took place in this country, from Bashar al-Assad’s coming to power in 2000 and 2020.
The study pointed out that “Qassem Soleimani” had taken a direct interest in the Syrian square since the beginning of his assumption of his duties as commander of the Quds Force, considering that the veteran Iranian general invested the death of “Hafez al-Assad” to redraw the relationship between Iran and the new Syrian regime, headed by “Bashar al-Assad”, from During the establishment of a different type of relationship between the two countries.
The study also quoted informed sources, that the influence of “Soleimani” in Syria began with the formation of a military force under his leadership, aiming to secure a smooth transition of the reins of government to Bashar al-Assad after the death of his father in June 2000, a force that helped the Iranian regime to completely transform the relationship With Syria, and its penetration in security and military within the Arab region, after it was just a party that Syria is helping to break its international isolation.
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Besides, the study noted that the invasion of Iraq and the fall of Iraq in April 2003 also constituted a new turning point in the relations between the Syrian and Iranian regimes, as well as through Soleimani, who took charge of overseeing coordination of Syrian-Iranian intelligence and military efforts to counter the repercussions of the American presence in Iraq And combating this presence, in addition to his assumption of facilitating the presence of al-Qaeda through logistical assistance from Damascus, which opened its borders to cross the militants in Iraq, according to the study.
Later, this relationship became more evident in the face of the independence forces in Lebanon, during 2004 and 2005, through the assassination campaign launched by the Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah trio against their political opponents. At the same time, Soleimani had strengthened his relationship with the leaders of the Lebanese Hezbollah, including Imad Mughniyah, Mustafa Badreddine, and the leader of the party, Hassan Nasrallah. This stage has witnessed an Iranian penetration into all joints of the Syrian state, militarily, securityly and economically. The phenomenon of Shiism increased and became public in many Syrian regions.
The study revealed a major role for “Soleimani” in Syria during the revolution, exceeding what was shown by the media, noting that Iran’s intervention was the result of “Soleimani” insistence to save “Bashar al-Assad” and his regime from the fall, as he had an influential role in the course of Syrian events Through many policies and stations, including organizing the regime’s brutal response to attacks by opponents inside Damascus and threats to overthrow the regime, “in the first months of the Syrian revolution, and formulating military strategies for the Syrian regime, as it is attributed to the policies of siege and starvation, and the policies of distorting the revolution.”
The study described “Soleimani” as the engineer of the defense lines of Damascus, and he established a defense system consisting of three hoops, which made the mission of the opposition impossible to storm Damascus and topple the regime, and this matter contributed greatly to Assad’s retention of the legitimacy of the government based on his control of the capital.
With the death of “Soleimani”, the study considered that the map of the way the network was managed had been lost, since it is by virtue of the competition between the security services and its eagerness to keep the secret of this administration, it did not establish a leadership generation from within the Jerusalem Corps to succeed him, but the map of its relations indicates that it was bringing close elements Non-Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Afghan and Pakistani, and his secrets were distributed among these, according to the operational need and the requirements of the running of affairs, and the only Iranian who trusted him, and his “black box” is considered “Hussein Pour Jaafari”, from his city Qorman, with whom he was killed in Baghdad.
Based on these data, the study estimated the areas of vulnerability that Suleimani’s absence will leave on the Syrian scene in the following, the pillars that Suleimani built in Syria, especially the project to build the Albukamal base and prepare the area as a parallel project to Iran’s road to the Mediterranean, and the project to control Aleppo, where Iran has Its largest military base in Syria, “Jabal Azzan”
In addition, the absence of “Soleimani” from the scene will affect, according to the study, the project of Shiism in the south of the country, in Quneitra and Daraa, and the building of a pro-Iranian force in this region, as well as coordination between the militias and relations of cooperation between them and controlling their conflicts, given that the relationship between Many components of these forces are tense and have experienced conflicts more than once.
The study did not exclude the administration of Iranian assets in Syria, noting that the Quds Force owns many assets in Syria, and a tangible presence in most of the joints of military action there, especially in military airports in Homs countryside, central Syria, Hama Military Airport, and Nairab airport in Aleppo, and in these areas The Quds Force is sharing the management of these sites with Russia under the supervision of “Qasim Soleimani” personally. The Quds Force is present in important military plots in the Al-Kiswa region in Damascus countryside, where most of the Iranian militia operations are conducted in southern Syria.
On the field level, the study showed that the absence of “Soleimani” came in light of an Israeli methodology in targeting Iranian militias, and an American entry on the line, which would confuse Iranian influence in Syria, and would hinder its positioning in more than one place, especially in eastern Syria.
