Iran's Mehr news agency has announced the establishment of a new terrorist organisation named The Islamic Resistance in Syria.
The group was founded in response to the fall of the Tehran-allied Assad regime to counteract what it called the “occupation” of the country.
In a statement released by the group, it said: "This step is a natural and legitimate response to confront the attempts at division and displacement that the country has endured."
The statement was accompanied by a logo resembling those of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, featuring a raised hand holding a rifle.
The organisation added that it aims to represent all sects in Syria and focus on "defending security and territorial integrity."
It further noted that the group was established due to "the absence of the political and social forces that previously managed Syria" referencing Assad’s fall in December 2024, emphasising that its goal is "to defend Syria from occupation”.
It comes after the pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar reporting last month that a group calling itself The Syrian Resistance had announced its operations against Israel and Islamist government forces in Damascus. The group referred to these forces as "the gangs of al-Jolani," referencing the nickname of Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The collapse of the Assad regime and the rise of the rebels have significantly undermined Iran's regional axis. Shi'ite militias composed of Afghans and Pakistanis have fled to Iraq as al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda militant, attempts to overhaul Syria’s constituional order, supposedly with the aim of a democratic transition.
Hezbollah in Lebanon was forced to withdraw its forces and is now working to smuggle out its remaining weapons, while simultaneously weakened by a devstating war with Israel and the election of pro-Western president Joseph Aoun. Nevertheless, cells affiliated with the former regime continue to engage in occasional exchanges of fire with the new government.
The new administration in Damascus has, in recent months, called on Iran to refrain from meddling in its internal affairs.
On Tuesday, al-Sharaa attended the Arab League summit in Cairo, declaring that Syria is opening a new chapter with Arab states. At the same time, he complained that Israel is taking advantage of the previous regime's collapse.
