MESOP Iran Daily: Regime Promises Victory in Syria in “Near Future”

14 May 2016 – by Scott Lucas – eaworldview – General Ahmad Vahidi “Terrorists will experience crushing defeat”- In its latest statement after defeats by Syria’s rebels, the Iranian regime has promised that it will soon regain the initiative.

Last week, rebels and the jihadists of Jabhat al-Nusra took the key town of Khan Tuman, south of Aleppo city, from Iranian-led forces. The Revolutionary Guards acknowledged that 13 of their troops were killed and 21 wounded. More were captured, and an unknown, large number of Iranian-led foreign militia died.

General Ahmad Vahidi, a former Defense Minister, said on Friday, “Khan Tuman will be taken back in the near future and the terrorists will be experience crushing defeat.”

He insisted that rebels have gained little on the southern Aleppo front and are only giving the impression of victory through their “psychological war”:

Unfortunately these terrorists are supported both at the regional and international level. The resistance, however, is strong.

Fars News, the outlet of the Revolutionary Guards, has finally acknowledged that Khan Tuman was lost. It tried to explain away the failure of counter-attacks to regain the town with the quote, from a “field source”, “The operations to liberate Khan Tuman have not started yet.”Since last October, since Tehran worked with Russia to launch multiple offensives propping up the Assad regime and Syrian military, Iranian media have officially reported the deaths of almost 300 commanders and troops. However, last week’s admission by the Revolutionary Guards — their first statement on multiple casualties in the Syria conflict — has fueled public discussion of the intervention.The regime has tried to rally the public with exaltation of “martyrdom”. On Thursday, the Supreme Leader met families of Afghan militiamen killed in Syria.

But the leadership is also battling rumor and speculation. Mohsen Rezaei, the Secretary of the Expediency Council and a former Revolutionary Guards general, denied on Friday that the Supreme Leader has appointed him to lead the campaign to “free Aleppo”. www.mesop.de