The leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Behrouz Ethbati, alleged that Russia played a role in deceiving former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, contributing to the downfall of his regime. In an audio recording, Ethbati highlighted Russia’s betrayal and internal corruption as key factors in Assad’s decline, as well as the inadequacies of Assad’s resistance organization. He expressed concerns about a potential military confrontation between Iran and the United States, indicating that Iran’s conventional missiles might not be effective against U.S. positions.