Following the rebel takeover of the Syrian capital, the Iranian embassy in Damascus was reportedly stormed, as reported by Iranian state-run Press TV. A video released by Saudi state media depicted damage to the Iranian embassy, including a torn poster of Qasem Soleimani, the late commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who played a significant role in supporting the Assad regime in Syria before his death in a US airstrike at Baghdad airport in January 2020.
The collapse of the Assad government carries significant implications for Iran, a key supporter of the Syrian president. The events in Syria have been described by a US official as marking the collapse of “Iran’s artifice” across the Middle East. This development comes on the heels of the weakening of other Tehran proxies, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, in conflicts with Israel over the past 14 months.
Iran’s involvement in Syria, particularly through its support for the Assad regime and the network of Iran-allied militias built by Soleimani, has been a focal point of regional dynamics. The storming of the Iranian embassy in Damascus and the damage inflicted on the premises underscore the volatile situation in the region and the shifting power dynamics.
