Abu Fadl al-Abbas Brigade

A pro-Iranian Shia militia that operated alongside the Assad regime throughout Syria. The militia operated primarily in the south of the country, including in the Daraa and Quneitra regions near the Israeli border. The brigade consisted of Syrian Shia fighters and Shia fighters from pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, mainly Kata'ib Hezbollah and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. The brigade received training, funding, and weapons directly from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was considered one of its operational arms in Syria. It had previously included Iraqi Shia fighters who came to Syria to defend Shia holy sites, some of whom were loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. In 2014, the brigade split, and many of its Iraqi fighters returned to Iraq and formed a similarly named militia—the Abu Fadl al-Abbas Forces—which was dissolved following the victory over ISIS in 2017. The brigade also operated in the Deir ez-Zor area and was one of the largest local militias, with approximately 4,000 Syrian, Iranian, and Afghan fighters. Its fighters guarded weapons depots and detention centers at Al-Rahba Castle, a historical site south of Mayadin. They were also deployed in the Badiya Desert, where they were tasked with repelling ISIS attacks and guarding a religious site at the Ayn Ali spring near the town of Quriyah. The brigade possessed heavy weapons, ammunition depots, and missiles.