As reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), thousands of pro-Iranian fighters were still in Syria, partly in the east of the country and partly in the capital, Damascus, at the time the opposition seized power in Damascus.
Later, as the WSJ reports, citing its sources, the main pro-Iranian forces, including officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were transferred to the Iraqi city of El-Qaim on the Syrian border.
Western diplomats noted that during the retreat, the Iranian military and its allies left a large amount of weapons and ammunition in Syria, which were partly destroyed by Israel and partly seized by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.
According to US Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf, Syria has now become a "hostile territory" for Iran.
