Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah “are building a network of militias inside Syria to preserve and protect their interests” should opposition forces successfully overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime. The regime is aligned with Tehran, and the Iranians have continued to supply Damascus with weapons and training over the course of the two-year war inside Syria. Iran and Hezbollah have also reportedly supplied soldiers to fight on the regime’s behalf, and Ali Akbar Velayati, an aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, declared recently that “an attack on Syria would be considered an attack on Iran.”