On July 30, 2019, the Syrian opposition website Ein Al-Porat published a report on its Facebook page detailing the locations of the Shi’ite militias supported by Iran in the Al-Mayadin and Deir Al-Zour region in eastern Syria.
The report indicates the locations of the bases and storehouses of these forces and provides details about the weapons in their possession, as well as aerial photographs.
According to the report, active in the area are Fatemiyoun militia forces, comprised of Shi’ites of Afghan origin, members of the Iraqi Al-Nujaba movement, and Hizbullah-Lebanon – all of which are U.S.-designated terror organizations.
Also stationed in the area are forces of the Baqir Brigade, a Syrian militia loyal to Iran, which in the past has declared its intention to confront the American forces in Syria.
The report also reveals that there are anti-aircraft missiles, shoulder-fired missiles, and guided missiles in the region as well. Some of the missiles are aimed at the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are stationed on the opposite bank of the Euphrates River.
On July 2, 2019, the site published a similar report, specifying the locations of Iraqi and Lebanese Shi’ite militias supported by Iran in the Al-Bukamal area on the Syria-Iraq border.
These areas are of strategic importance to Iran due to their proximity to the border with Iraq, and because control over them will help Iran to realize its goal to achieve territorial contiguity from its domain up to the Mediterranean Sea and because of the presence there of American forces, which support the Kurdish forces in the area
