Baladi News – (Mervat Mohammad)
Realizing that its only option to achieve the Shiite Crescent dream, Iran desperately seeks to reach al-Tanf crossing border where an American and British Headquarters is based.
Syrian sources indicated that after the conclusion of the de-escalation memorandum during Astana 4 meeting, Iran started advancing towards the crossing as the memorandum allowed Iran and the regime to transfer large military enforcements in an effort to capture it.
Maen Tallaa, a researcher at Omran Center for Strategic Studies, indicated that the Iranian movements in the Syrian Desert are related to orders given by the commanders of Quds Brigade, Qasem Soleimani and Hadi Al-Amiri. Tallaa explained that the movements aim at changing the course of the Iranian corridor between Tehran and the Mediterranean from the north to the south because of Iranian concerns due to the large numbers of American forces in the north.
Journalist Firas Debeh considers that the Desert battle will define the maps of influence of the great powers in Syria. Debeh attributed the importance if this battle for Iran to the fact that controlling the desert would mean securing the corridor between Tehran and the southern suburb in Beirut as well as the Mediterranean.
The speaker believes that the barren and exposed nature of the desert makes it difficult for any ground forces to control it fully. Therefore, the area will remain a conflict zone for a long period, and the Iranian possible control would be temporary.
Researcher Maen Tallaa clarified that Iran, through its militias, aim at penetrating into three areas; the Eastern Qalamun, al-Swayda eastern ountryside, and the Syrian Desert. This would allow it, according to the speaker, to stop the rebels’ victories against ISIS and deprive the international coalition from the services of their local allies in the potential battle of Deir Ez -Zour.
Practically, Iran has the tools that could allow it to achieve these goals despite the missile strikes by the international coalition forces, added the speaker.
Still, the Syrian Desert will be open to all possibilities, especially if the steps of the United States following Raqqa battle are taken into consideration, which Moscow is trying to hinder and prevent the appropriate conditions for taking them.