‘It's All Over’: How Iran Quietly Abandoned Assad Days Before His Fall

‘It's All Over’: Iran's Sudden Withdrawal From Syria

Overview: As Islamist-led forces swept across Syria in early December, Iranian Revolutionary Guard units and diplomats supporting President Bashar al-Assad abruptly withdrew from key positions days before his removal, AFP sources say. The rapid exit — from Damascus to Aleppo and border posts — left bases and consular buildings deserted and exposed the limits of Iran's ability to prop up the regime as its military collapsed.

Timeline and Key Moments

Former Syrian officers and consulate staff who spoke to AFP described a cascade of events beginning on 5 December. An Iranian superior called Syrian personnel to an operations centre in the Mazzeh district and announced the withdrawal, reportedly saying: 'From today, there will be no more Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria. We're leaving.' Soldiers were ordered to destroy sensitive documents and remove hard drives.

'It's all over. From today, we are no longer responsible for you,' the officer recalled being told.

Those present received one month's pay in advance and were sent home. Two days later, Islamist fighters entered Damascus without a fight after Assad reportedly fled to Russia.

Diplomatic and Military Retreat

Two former employees of Iran's consulate in Damascus described a hurried evacuation: the consulate was empty by the evening of 5 December as diplomats left for Beirut, accompanied by senior Revolutionary Guards officers. Some Syrian staff who also held Iranian nationality left with them. The embassy, consulate and Iranian security posts were reportedly deserted by the morning of 6 December.

At the Jdeidet Yabus border crossing with Lebanon, travellers and former staff reported severe congestion on 5–6 December, with waits near eight hours as people tried to cross amid the evacuation. Several Syrian employees were told to stay home and were paid three months' salary.

Evacuations And Abandoned Bases

Iranian-led forces had been concentrated in sensitive zones: the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus (a Shiite pilgrimage site), areas around Damascus airport, near the Lebanese and Iraqi borders, and parts of Aleppo province. Reports from a former Iranian base south of Aleppo described heavy damage and revolutionary slogans on the walls, including images of a sword tearing an Israeli flag.

AFP sources and rebel commanders said evacuations included flights from Russia's Hmeimim air base on the Mediterranean coast. One rebel commander, Colonel Mohammad Dibo, estimated that some 4,000 Iranian personnel were evacuated via Hmeimim; others reportedly fled overland through Iraq or Lebanon. In the rush, rebels found passports and identity papers left behind inside abandoned bases.

Wider Context

Throughout Syria's civil war that began in 2011, Iran was a principal backer of Assad, sending Revolutionary Guard advisers and mobilising allied fighters — notably Hezbollah from Lebanon and contingents from Iraq and Afghanistan. Tehran's support included command roles inside Syrian units. The December withdrawal exposed how quickly those arrangements unraveled as Assad's forces collapsed and outside pressures — including repeated Israeli strikes on Iran-backed targets — intensified.

Sources: Reporting by AFP, testimony from former Syrian officers and consulate employees, and statements from rebel commanders.