Who are Iran Quds Force officers deployed to Syria amid rebel offensive?
The team is led by a former Quds Force Syria branch commander, who Iranian media said had played a leading role in the 2016 anti-militant operations in Aleppo.
TEHRAN — A group of Iranian officers arrived in Damascus as the Syrian army pushed to regain control of the country's second-largest city, Aleppo, which fell to rebel control following a lightning offensive last week.
A report by the Persian website of state-run Al-Alam TV said on Monday that the deployment of the Iranian "advisers" is part of security arrangements between Tehran and Damascus aimed at helping Syria tackle "terrorism" in the wake of the assault by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham insurgents.
Iran commonly refers to its Syria presence as an "advisory mission" in response to "requests" from the government of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad.
The report did not specify the number of officers or the areas in which they will be potentially operating, but it noted that the team will be led by Gen. Javad Ghaffari, a veteran commander serving with the Quds Force — the overseas branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
