Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim ruling parties and other armed groups have deployed units near the Syrian border. Their leaders are considering whether to intervene in the situation that has developed in Syria after the start of the offensive by opposition forces.
Reuters reported this, citing several sources.
Currently, several thousand soldiers of the regular Iraqi army and fighters of groups that are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which have close ties to Iran, are located on the Iraqi side of the border.
Reuters' interlocutors said that for now these forces are tasked with guarding Iraq's western border and not interfering in the conflict in order to help government forces in Syria.
They stressed that the order could change if the Syrian opposition manages to capture the city of Homs or overthrow the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Iraqi forces could also intervene in the conflict if Syrian opposition groups, consisting of Sunnis, begin to persecute Shi'ites.
An Iraqi government representative said that Iraq does not seek military intervention in Syria's affairs, but called the division of the country a "red line" for Baghdad, without specifying what exactly.
At the same time, the Middle East Eye portal wrote, citing its own sources, that Iraq's Shi'ite forces, including armed groups linked to Iran, had allegedly unanimously decided not to send fighters to Syria to protect Assad from the opposition offensive.
The portal also wrote that after the opposition offensive began, Iraqi forces were transferred to the border to ensure security.
In addition, the portal writes, in the Iraqi regions, security forces have begun checking all foreigners arriving and residing in the country, especially Syrians.
It is alleged that several thousand Syrians who do not have valid visas have been arrested, especially in the provinces of Karbala and Najaf.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on December 6, Sky News Arabia wrote that russia warned Syria that it would be able to provide only limited assistance to the government army.
Meanwhile, the Syrian army has begun to leave the territory south of the Euphrates River in eastern Syria. Kurdish units (SDF) are taking their place.
Recall that on December 4, it became known that russia was forced to evacuate warships from the base in the port of Tartus in western Syria.
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