Pro-Iran militias in Deir Ezzor adopt a new strategy. Hezbollah and the IRGC train local tribal leaders and enroll young men. Objectives: improve protection from pro-ISIS militiamen and attack the Inherent Resolve bases from the SDF territories

The pro-Iran militias in Syria are changing their strategy in eastern Syria, in particular in the al-Masrib desert area west of Deir Ezzor: they train local tribal leaders. Hezbollah, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), brought a group of tribal representatives close to the border with Lebanon and trained them in the use of light, medium and heavy weapons. It is about 60 people from various clans and residents in the quadrant of the province under the control of Damascus. At the same time, the IRGC have significantly increased checkpoints on the main roads of the quadrant and recruitment, especially among local young people, offering them advantageous economic conditions and benefits. The goal is twofold: on the one hand, to have more forces to exploit to repel the IS offensives and, if possible, to start a counterattack. On the other hand, to increase attacks against Inherent Resolve bases from territories under the aegis of the SDF, exploiting “local manpower” and placing the blame on the Islamic State.