Iran has force of 50,000 in Syria, claims Israel

Major General Aviv Kochavi said Tehran had provided the funds for the army which had then been trained by Hizbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group which is a close ally of the Islamic regime. It planned to expand the force to 100,000 men, he said.

Speaking at the annual Inter-Disciplinary Conference in Herzliya, Maj Gen Kochavi said Iran and Hizbollah had supported Mr Assad in the two-year civil war that has cost an estimated 70,000 because they were fearful of losing a strategic ally. But they were developing contingency plans for the day when he would fall from power.

“The damages of the imminent fall of Syria are very high for both Iran and Hezbollah,” he said.

“Iran is losing a sole ally in the region surrounding Israel. It will lose the ability to transfer weaponry through Syria to Hizbollah.

"Iran and Hizbollah are also preparing for the day after Assad’s fall, when they will use this army to protect their assets and interest in Syria.”

Iranian officials have previously acknowledged the presence of forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria as advisers but have denied intervening in the conflict.

Maj Gen Kochavi also said Mr Assad was preparing to use Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons, which Israel fears could fall into the hands of Jihadist fighters or Hizballah in the event of his regime crumbling.

“Assad continues to assert his control of Syria’s chemical weapons, air force, and military hardware,” he said.

“[He] is making advance preparations to use chemical weapons. He did not give the order yet, but is preparing for it.”

He said Iran’s nuclear programme — which Israel says is aimed at building an atomic bomb — had been slowed but not sufficiently to prevent it from developing weapons.

“At their current pace of enrichment of 14 kilograms of uranium per month, Iran would be able to manufacture 5-6 nuclear bombs, if the order is given,” he said.

“Iran is making sure not to cross any international red lines because the survival of the regime is the biggest priority.”

But Iran’s leaders did not see a “high likelihood” of a military attack on the country’s nuclear installations, Maj Gen Kochavi added, despite speculation about US or Israeli strikes .

The Telegraph