Today, in a speech addressing families of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces killed in Syria and Lebanon, the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei sought to project strength while grappling with the evident loss of morale among his forces. Held ahead of the fifth anniversary of Qassem Soleimani’s killing, the event underscored the regime’s growing anxiety following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the shifting regional dynamics.
Khamenei attempted to justify his regime’s costly intervention in Syria, claiming, “The blood shed by the so-called ‘defenders of the shrine’ in Syria has not been wasted.” He further insisted, “If these sacrifices had not been made, there would be nothing left of Zainabiyya, Karbala, or Najaf today.” These remarks came against the backdrop of widespread criticism over the regime’s substantial expenditures in Syria, both in financial terms—running into tens of billions of dollars—and human costs, with thousands of casualties among IRGC members and its proxies.
The Supreme Leader conspicuously avoided acknowledging the current reality in Syria, where Shiite holy sites remain open and protected by the new government. The fall of Assad has triggered significant discontent within the regime, with officials questioning the strategic benefits of Iran’s interventions. Despite this, Khamenei sought to bolster his narrative, stating that the sacrifices of Iranian-backed forces demonstrated that “the Islamic Revolution is alive.”
In a veiled reference to Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), the leader of the current Syrian authorities, Khamenei declared, “Do not be fooled by the tyranny of those who are in power today. Those who strut around will one day be trampled under the feet of the faithful.” This marked the third time in recent weeks that he has publicly promised the “reclaiming” of Syria, even as Iran’s influence in the region faces severe setbacks.
Khamenei’s remarks about Syrian youth standing against the new government directly reference recent unrest in Syria, where Assad-regime loyalists have clashed with Syrian security forces, highlighting the ongoing instability in the region.
Khamenei also emphasized the role of Qassem Soleimani in mobilizing proxy militants across the region to strengthen the so-called “Axis of Resistance.” However, his claims that Iranian-backed forces remain intact contrast sharply with reports of their retreat in the face of Syrian opposition forces. Despite having superior firepower and Russian air support, tens of thousands of IRGC Quds forces, along with Iraqi militias and the Zainabiyoun and Fatemiyoun brigades, retreated, while Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem admitted the loss of Syria as a vital supply route, describing it as a significant blow.
Domestically, high-ranking officials have begun to voice concerns over the regime’s foreign interventions. Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, admitted that supporting Tehran’s proxies has become increasingly difficult.
However, in an effort to rally his supporters, Khamenei claimed, “Millions of young Iranians are ready to sacrifice their lives for the defense of Islam,” and praised IRGC forces as symbols of resistance. Yet his repeated references to past sacrifices and promises of eventual victories in Lebanon and Yemen seemed more like attempts to distract from Tehran’s diminishing influence and the failure of its expansionist policies.
The Supreme Leader, deeply concerned about the potential inspiration Iranian dissidents will draw from Assad’s fall, once again attributed Syria’s popular revolution to ambiguous foreign actors. He warned, “With the withdrawal of youth from the scene, a situation similar to Syria—chaos and the occupation of its land by foreign aggressors like the U.S., the Zionist regime, and certain other hostile nations—will arise.”
Emphasizing the departure of U.S. forces from Syria, he added, “The aggressor must leave the land that belongs to a nation, or they will be expelled. American bases will undoubtedly be trampled under the feet of Syrian youth.”
Khamenei further described Lebanon as a “symbol of resistance,” asserting that despite its wounds, it “has not bent and will ultimately prevail, just as Yemen, another symbol of resistance, will also emerge victorious.”
Source » ncr-iran