Media sources reported that Iranian militias began recruiting Syrian mercenaries, in one of Assad's-controlled areas, to send them to combat zones outside the country's borders.

According to the Syrian news site Nanda Farah, the militias began recruiting Syrian mercenaries from the eastern Syrian city of al-Bukhamal, ahead of their transfer to Yemen, to fight alongside the Houthi militia there.

This is not the first time Iranian militias have recruited Syrian mercenaries to fight alongside the Houthi militia. In May last year, the Syrian national opposition unveiled a similar mobilization campaign, during which Iran took advantage of the bad economic situation in Assad-controlled areas to attract young Syrians.