By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-11-19

A state of lawlessness prevails in the Syrian border town of Albu Kamal, where militiamen affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanese Hizbullah have vanished from sight, sources said.

Iran-aligned militias in Syria have been lying low since Israel intensified its attacks on Hizbullah, out of fear that they too will become targets.

Some have left the area, while others have gone into hiding.

This has had an impact on the local community, who have traded the pain of living under the control of the IRGC's proxies for the tumult of lawlessness.

"Deir Ezzor province is suffering from a state of security chaos due to the disappearance of the IRGC's main affiliates, particularly Lebanese Hizbullah and the Iraqi militias," Deir Ezzor media activist Jamil al-Abed told Al-Fassel.

There has been an increase in theft, with civilians openly accosted on public roads and an uptick in burglaries from private homes, he said. Drug dealers have resurfaced, and are openly plying their trade.

Meanwhile, the militias are still transporting weapons and spare parts for drones through the Albu Kamal crossing, he said, with "at least two trucks" spotted entering Syrian territory, accompanied by IRGC-aligned Iraqi militia elements.

Changing public opinion

"It is natural for the Syrian areas controlled by IRGC affiliates to witness this state of security chaos," Iranian affairs researcher Sheyar Turko told Al-Fassel.

"The withdrawal of the Lebanese and Iraqi elements was expected, and the elements of the Fatemiyoun Division are trying to stay out of sight as much as possible to avoid the raids targeting Iranian headquarters," he said.

Locally recruited militiamen are not on hand either to provide security.

Many have failed to report for duty, with "large numbers of them avoiding the militias' headquarters and posts for fear of being hit by air strikes," al-Abed said.

"The local elements affiliated with the IRGC are not reliable at all because of their lack of total loyalty to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei," Turko said.

"They had joined the militias out of fear of being arrested and because of the money and aid that were distributed to them," he explained.

Syrian regime forces are unable to deploy in these areas because of their weakness and the widespread Russian influence that prevents any expansion by either regime forces or IRGC-aligned militias, Turko said.

It is likely that chaos will prevail in most parts of Syria under Iranian influence, he added, "as Iranian elements and proxies are spreading out among civilian homes."

"This could lead to public opinion turning against them," he said.