Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
New York - Asharq Al-Awsat

Israel: Iran has Recruited 80,000 Shi’ite Fighters in Syria

Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon holds a map that he claims shows the area in Syria where Iran is recruiting and training upwards of 80,000 Shi'ite fighters at a base five miles from Damascus. Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

Israel's envoy to the United Nations has said that Iran had recruited at least 80,000 Shi’ite fighters which it was training at a base about eight kilometers from Damascus.

Holding up a map, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the Security Council on Thursday: "What you can see here is Iran's central induction and recruitment center in Syria. There are over 80,000 Shi’ite militants in Syria under Iranian control.

“It is at this base, just over five miles from Damascus, where they are trained to commit acts of terror in Syria and across the region," Reuters quoted Danon as saying.

Danon spoke during a Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.