Non-Governmental and Irregular Armed Groups in the Syria/Iraq Conflict Zone

... and Lebanon, in support of its immediate allies in the Islamic resistance (primarily Hezbollah). Tehran views Syria as the central piece in this allied structure. In the... ... countries for the purpose of protecting “oppressed” Muslims. Among these forces are the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Syrian National Defence Forces (NDF)... ... sometimes compare Tehran to the Vatican in an attempt to equate their significance to Shiites and Christians, respectively. In our opinion, the emergence of non-governmental...