Iran has sent hundreds of troops into northern and central Syria in the first such open deployment in the country's civil war, joining fighters from its lebanese ally Hezbollah in an offensive against rebels and taking advantage of cover from Russia's air campaign, a regional official and Syrian activists said on Wednesday. Their arrival is almost certain to fuel a civil war in Syria which has already claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and displaced half of the country's population. It also highlights the far-reaching goals of Russia's military involvement in Syria.
Russia began carrying out airstrikes in Syria on Sept. 30, and Syrian troops and allied militiamen began a ground offensive against rebels in central Syria a week later. Russia says its airstrikes are meant to weaken the Islamic State group and other terrorists in Syria, but Western officials and Syrian rebels say most the strikes have focused on areas in central and northern Syria where extremist group does not have a strong presence. The arrival of Iranian troops fighting under the cover of Russian air power further strengthens the view that Russia's main goal is to shore up Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled government.