Islamist Rebels Guard Abandoned Iranian Embassy In Damascus

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 17: Only an empty pit remains beside the Iranian Embassy, after an Israeli airstrike in April struck a building here that was part of Irans diplomatic complex, killing the top commanders of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force in charge of Syria, including Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and triggering then an unprecedented barrage from Iran against Israel of some 180 rockets, missiles, and drones, on December 17, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Islamist rebels of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) now guard the abandoned Iranian Embassy just days after toppling Syrias leader, and close ally of Iran, Bashar al-Assad. Until the fall of Assad, Iran exercised powerful influence in Syria, using it as a conduit for missiles, weapons, and cash to Lebanese Hezbollah, as well a staging ground for Irans other axis of resistance regional allies from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, to help put down a popular anti-Assad uprising that started in 2011, spawned a significant takeover of the country by the jihadist Islamic State, and eventually resulted in an Islamist insurgency that - despite billions of dollars in Iranian backing and militia forces, and Russian military support - led to the ousting of the regime. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)