Illustrative image.
Syrian government forces went on high alert on August 4, launching a border deployment toward Iraq following warnings from Damascus to Baghdad over suspected militia activity along the border.
Military authorities ordered personnel to immediately report to their posts and declared Alert Level “C”—maximum military readiness—according to the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV. Damascus has not issued an official explanation for the mobilization.
Following the alert, local sources reported that convoys from the 66th and 86th Divisions were advancing toward the Iraqi border from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa.
The mobilization follows warnings sent by Damascus to Iraqi officials earlier this month after Damascus detected movements by Iran-backed armed factions near the border. Syrian officials reportedly requested that Baghdad prevent its territory from being used for attacks targeting Syria, adding that any strike originating from Iraq would be met with a response.
Iraqi officials downplayed the reported mobilization. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Abdul-Wahab Sukkar Al-Saidi, commander of Iraq’s Border Guards, told the state-run INA news agency that the situation along the line remains stable and that Syrian movements are occurring with Baghdad’s knowledge and coordination.
Al-Saidi added that both sides are sharing intelligence and that Iraqi forces maintain control of their positions, noting that Syrian forces have not yet reoccupied their formal outposts along the perimeter.
The Syrian-Iraqi border stretches roughly 600 kilometers and features three primary official crossings: the Yaarubiyah-Rabia crossing linking Syria’s Hasakah province with Iraq’s Nineveh governorate; the Al-Bukamal-Al-Qaim crossing connecting Deir Ezzor in Syria to Anbar in Iraq; and the Tanf-Al-Waleed crossing situated near the strategic tri-border intersection of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan.
The mobilization in Syria came amid an escalation in regional tensions resulting from the conflict with Iran. Iraq has been one focal point of these tensions. A wave of United States-Saudi strikes hit Iran-backed armed factions there, and Baghdad has since received warnings from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, in addition to Syria.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com