Tehran has sent a delegation of military advisers to Syria, led by a senior Corps general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to help the government in Damascus counter the offensive of Islamists in the southern part of the country, DPA reported.
Brigadier General Javad Ghaffari will provide support for the counter-offensive of President Bashar Assad's troops in the area of the city of Hama, reported the Iranian radio "Al Alam".
Last week, Islamist fighters led by the armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a surprise offensive in northwestern Syria and took control of the second-largest city of Aleppo.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday that Tehran is open to the possibility of sending troops to Syria to help Assad's forces.
The American Institute for the Study of War writes that Ghaffari has expert knowledge of the situation in Syria. In 2016 he acquired the nickname "the butcher of Aleppo" because of his role in the capture of the city.