SYRIA: Activist in Hasakah say Iranian militias seek to establish influence in Hasakah city by buying dozens of properties

HASAKAH, Syria — As Zalin (Qamishli) in North and East Syria continues to slip out of Syrian regime control, Iranian militias are now seeking to consolidate their presence in Hasakah.

Between mid-January and late-April, before the Syrian regime lost its positions in Zalin’s Tayy neighborhood, Iranian militias recruited approximately 710 people in both cities.

Now, however, activists in Hasakah city reported that in recent weeks, Iranian militias have purchased more than 35 properties within the areas controlled by the Syrian regime, an area no bigger than a few hundred meters.

According to the activists, the purchase of real estate coincides with ongoing attempts to attract more young men in the city, particularly from the Syrian regime-aligned National Defense Forces (NDF), into the ranks of specifically pro-Iranian groups.