Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that Tehran has not made any decisions to change the number of its forces in Syria in light of the tensions in the Middle East.

This was stated by the senior advisor to the Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Asghar Haji, in a statement to the Novosti agency today, Thursday, November 14.

Haji said, “The presence of our military advisors in Syria continues, and there are no decisions regarding changes in our number of troops and personnel in Syria so far; everything remains as it is.”

Haji added that Tehran will exercise “its right to defend itself whenever it deems it necessary,” in response to Israeli strikes on Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statements about its military presence in Syria came in response to the Russian president’s envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, who said that Iran and its affiliated formations had reduced their presence on Syrian territory before the escalation of Israeli actions against Lebanon.

Lavrentiev, on November 13, denied that the Russian base “Khmeimim” in Syria was used to transport and supply Hezbollah with weapons in Lebanon.

He added that Russia continuously refuses to carry out Israeli airstrikes on sites belonging to Iranian forces inside Syria, indicating that the Russian Foreign and Defense Ministries have warned Israeli officials that these activities could lead to very serious consequences.

The Russian official emphasized that Israel’s desire for guarantees to prevent the potential transit of weapon shipments to Lebanon through Syria is not within the mandate of Russian military personnel.

Reuters reported, citing five informed sources, that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) withdrew its senior officers from Syria due to a series of Israeli strikes and will increasingly rely on allied militias to maintain its influence there.

According to Reuters sources, while hardliners in Tehran are calling for retaliation, Iran’s decision to withdraw its senior officers is partly due to its desire to avoid becoming directly involved in an intense conflict in the Middle East.

Iran and Hezbollah have faced consecutive strikes from Israel in Syria over the past few months, resulting in the deaths of many leaders and members of the IRGC and Hezbollah from airstrikes launched by Tel Aviv on sites in Syria.

For its part, the Jusoor Center for Studies stated last July that between mid-2023 and 2024, the number of Iranian military sites in Syria decreased from 570 to 529.

However, Iran remains the country with the largest military presence in Syria compared to other foreign powers, according to the center.

The Iranian sites in Syria consist of 52 military bases, along with 477 points distributed across 117 locations in Aleppo, 109 in the countryside of Damascus, 77 in Deir Ezzor, 67 in Homs, 28 in Hama, 27 in Idlib, 20 in Quneitra, 17 in Latakia, 16 in Daraa, 14 in Raqqa, 13 in As-Suwayda, 9 in Tartus, 8 in al-Hasakah, and 7 in Damascus, according to the Jusoor Center.