Syrian Opposition Outlet: Iraq's Hizbullah Brigades And Yemen's Houthis To Send 1500 Operatives, Including Elite Units, To Fight Alongside Lebanese Hizbullah

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On October 26, 2024, the Syrian opposition outlet Thiqa News Agency claimed that Iran-backed Iraqi militias and the Yemeni Ansar Allah Movement (Houthis) are planning to send operatives to Lebanon to fight alongside Hizbullah and make up for the latter's manpower losses.[1]

1500 Fighters In Two Batches

The report cited "exclusive sources" as saying a total of 1500 operatives are expected to be transferred via Syria into Lebanon.

The first group of 750 transfers will include 500 fighters from the Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades and Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq, and 250 Houthi fighters.

A month later, a second group of 750 fighters from "elite units trained in urban warfare and in the use of drones and advanced missiles" will be transported. This, said the article, "indicates that Hizbullah is focusing on bringing in trained personnel who are equipped with modern weapons and technologies to enhance its military capabilities."

IRGC Commanders Supervising The Mission

The sources added that the plan is being supervised by Iran's IRGC commanders Ahmad Muhammad Al-Sharafi, a.k.a. Abu Idris Al-Sharafi, and Muhammad Al-Kawtharani.

Al-Sharafi is said to be the military liaison between the Houthis and Hizbullah Brigades, said the sources, adding that he is also in charge of providing logistics support to ensure the safe passage of the fighters into Lebanon.

Fighters Will be Transferred Via Air And Land

The sources further reported that the operatives will first be transported by air from Iraq and Yemen via the Baghdad, Basra, and Najaf airports, in the guise of humanitarian and religious activity.

They will subsequently be taken by land into Syria via the Al-Qa'im-Al-Bukamal crossing and other illegal crossings, and from there across the country. Upon arrival in Damascus, they will be split up and smuggled into Lebanon via Al-Qusayr in Homs governorate or Yabroud in Rif Dimashq governorate.

To avoid Israeli surveillance, the sources reported, the operatives will travel by night in small groups, under the protection of the Syrian regime's 4th Division.