The Generals Resume Their Threats

In the three recent weeks as the possibility of a US air strike against the Syrian regime grew because of the use of chemical weapons against Syrians, Iranian generals generally remained reticent or counseled Washington against an attack. But as of the beginning of this week, their tone and language has changed. The commander of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) yesterday said that if the US attacked Syria, the IRGC would do its duty. The commander of the supreme military command called US’s charges against Syria about its use of chemical weapons a lie. All this while a former commander of IRGC’s naval force spoke of the rise of anti-Iranian sentiments among Arabs because of Iran’s support for Bashar Assad’s regime.

Until US President Barak Obama announced that his order to strike was conditional upon Congress’s approval, the top commander of the IRGC had not said a word about the force’s readiness to defend Syria if attacked by the US. But since then and even more so as the prospects of the US-Russia deal on Syrian chemical weapons improved, general Mohammad Ali Jaafari has said, “The latest defeat of the enemy and arrogance (a term Iranian leaders use for the United States) was witnessed against Syrian resistance in the sense that the military attack that they were planning to implement failed and their main plan failed, as have their other plans.  And all the while the enemy had said that they would not attain Iran if they could not attain Syria.”

IRGC To Perform Its Duty

Three weeks ago after US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced the readiness of the country’s armed forces to attack Syria, Jaafari spoke to a group of Guard commanders and said and as reported by Fars news agency did not make any reference to the Syrian crisis or the IRGC’s position vis-à-vis it if conflict broke out.

As things stand today, Moscow and Washington have reached agreement on which basis if Syrian chemical weapons are dismantled the US would refrain from attacking Assad’s forces.

Now that the possibility of war has subsided, Jaafari has told reporters, “If the US takes military action it will be met with numerous problems and the Guards will do their duty.”

Firuzabadi: The US Claim is a Lie

Two days prior to Jaafari’s remarks, the head of Iran’s supreme military command also spoke in defense of Syria over its use of chemical weapons and said, “The American claim that Syrians used chemical weapons against the rebels is a lie.”

Firuzabadi had made comments on Syria before but because of the imminent possibility of US strikes against Syrian positions at that time did not say anything about the authenticity of US claims. Firuzabadi, who normally uses extreme threatening language the US, used soft language against the US at the time, in line with the remarks of other military and political leaders of the country. At that time, he too had counseled the US and its allies not to strike at Syria because in his words the people of Syria were “innocent.” He specifically had said, “Those who beat the drums of war in line with the Zionists should also take a look at the other side. In reality it is the innocent people of Syria who are the target of the US, the West and their mercenaries in the region.”

US Defeat

On the other hand, during the mourning ceremony for Ghasem Soleimani’s mother, another Guards general Amir Ali Hajizadeh said it was too early to comment on the reasons for US retreat. During the same ceremony general Ahmad Vahidi, the defense minister during Ahmadinejad’s 2^nd term said the decision not to attack Syria was a defeat for the US because “it failed to maintain their stand on the issue.”

In contrast, the only commander who had stood by Syria even when US threats were at their height was Ghasem Soleimani, the head of the Ghods force of the IRGC which is reported to have forces in Syria, among other places in the region. He had specifically said, “We shall support Syria till the end.”

In defense of his unconditional support for Syria, Soleimani had said, “We do not pay attention to the propaganda of the enemy because Syria is the leading edge of the resistance front, something that is undeniable.”

General Alai: Anti-Iranian sentiments in the Arab world

As Iranian political and military leaders publicly expressed their support for Bashar Assad’s regime despite reports that military units under his command used chemical weapons, Diplomacy website belonging to Iran’s former ambassador to the UN Kamal Kharazi, published a speech by general Hossein Alai, a former Guards Navy commander in Motaleat Din va Eghtesad in which he is quoted to have said that the situation in Syria was not improving and that “Conditions were moving to Bashar Assad’s detriment.” It should be noted that general Alai, who holds a PhD has been critical of some of the policies of the regime and specifically criticized the suppressive policies of the regime during the 2009 protests. He said Iran’s support for Assad has resulted in the growing anti-Iranian tide in the Arab world. “If you support democracy then why do you support Syria’s dictatorial regime,” he has said.