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On November 21, 2024, the Syrian opposition-affiliated Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the Baqiyat Allah Brigades, a "resistance" faction supported by Lebanese Hizbullah, had launched a new battalion on the northern outskirts of Aleppo. The battalion is named "Commander Nasrallah 406," after slain Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah.[1]
SOHR claimed that according to its sources, the new battalion is based near the cities of Nubl and Al-Zahra', northwest of Aleppo. It added that the battalion's command had begun recruiting young Syrians in the region, offering five-year contracts with a monthly salary of 1,200,000 Syrian pounds (approximately 92 USD).
The report described the Baqiyat Allah Brigades as a militia which also operates in Iraq and is focused on confronting "America, Israel, and armed opposition factions in Syria." It contended that the group has participated in "various military operations" in both Syria and Iraq in recent years.
SOHR also reported that on September 14, the Syrian branch of Hizbullah had started recruiting in Ithriya, in the desert east of Hama, as per instructions from its Lebanese counterpart. According to the report, the recruitment efforts target men between 18 and 45 years old. Married recruits would earn a monthly salary of two million Syrian pounds (about 153 USD), while single men are offered 1,800,000 Syrian pounds (about 138 USD) per month. The recruits would work in 20-hour shifts, followed by a ten-hour break. Hizbullah reportedly signs official contracts with the new operatives.
A November 17 SOHR article reported that Iran-backed militias exploit harsh economic conditions in eastern Syria to recruit locals, including minors.[2] The Syrian opposition-affiliated Naher Media similarly reported in late August that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had recruited dozens of minors in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Al-Zour and its vicinity.[3]
[1] November 21, 2024.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM report: Syrian Opposition Outlet: Iran-Backed Militias Exploiting Locals' Poverty To Recruit Minors In Eastern Syria, November 21, 2024.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM report: Syrian Pro-Opposition Media Outlets: Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Recruiting Minors In Northeast Syria To Fight Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), September 2, 2024.
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