(JNS.org) Iran commands a force of up to 25,000 Shi’a Muslim fighters in Syria, an Israeli official said in a briefing Wednesday, Nov. 2. “This is a foreign legion of some 25,000 militants, most of whom have come from Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Avi Dichter, a former director of Shin Bet and chair of Israel’s foreign affairs and defense committee, told a delegation from the Swiss Parliament, the Jerusalem Post reported. “They are fighting in Syria only against the rebels and not against ISIS.” Ditcher also said Iran has used Hezbollah forces to lead the fight against other terror groups in Syria. “The Iranians enlisted Hezbollah … to fight in Syria because the Iranian army is better suited to fight as an army against another army, while the Hezbollah militants are adept at fighting against terror groups,” he said. “The fighting has made (Hezbollah) a better fighting force and more adept in conventional military warfare.”

CAP: Avi Dichter, chair of the Israel’s foreign affairs and defense committee. Credit- Miriam