NEWSRAEL: There have been too many reports in the last half year to ignore. The Assad regime has two goals: 1) To try to force Iran out of Syria, or to lessen its control and 2) To keep out of the war Israel is fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Luckily for Assad - these 2 goals travel along the same path.
"EFFORTS TO KEEP THE IRANIANS AWAY FROM THE CAPITAL"
According to sources in Syria, since last September the Syrian regime began to exert indirect pressure on the Iranians in order to keep them away from Damascus and its rural areas.
The source stated that the officers of the State Security Branch delivered verbal warnings to Iranian military advisers and the heads of militias affiliated with Iran about possible infiltrations by Israeli intelligence.
The security arm responsible for the capital provided these figures with a set of advice, such as changing the locations of the residences of Iranian officials and meeting sites, as well as changing the communication devices and cars they use for their movement inside Syria.