Hizbullah, Iran Withdrawing from Golan Border, Monitor Says

Hizbullah and Iran have started withdrawing their forces from Syria's border with Jordan and the occupied Golan Heights, in line with Russian demands, a war monitor said on Thursday.

Citing “credible sources,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “the forces of Iran and Lebanon's Hizbullah and militants loyal to them have started the process of pulling out from south Syria.”

Under the new arrangements, these forces will move 40 kilometers away from Syria's border with Jordan and Israeli-occupied Golan, the Observatory said.

The development comes in line with “Russian demands” and following “Russian consultations with regional parties,” the monitor added.

“The Russians have given a chance to the Jordanian and American sides to negotiate with the (rebel) factions about the possibility of reaching a solution for the south Syria region, whereas regime forces have intensified their shelling of the Daraa province and areas in Quneitra's countryside,” the Observatory went on to say.

Israel, which has carried out dozens of airstrikes against Iranian and Hizbullah posts in Syria, had recently expressed alarm over the presence of Iranians and Hizbullah forces near Golan's border.