North Korean officers join Assad's forces
Opposition claims Pyongyang is sending officers to aid Assad in Aleppo. Reports indicate continued upscale in Hezbollah participation in Syrian war, including terror group's fighters manning Syrian tanks in battle for Qusair
A Syrian opposition human rights organization claimed Monday that officers from the North Korean army are aiding Bashar Assad's forces in their fight against the rebels in Aleppo. According to the organization,
a few of Assad's civilian militia fighters revealed the presence of the North Korean officers in the war zones.
The Syrian regime has been claiming for a long time that among the rebels fighting it across the country there are many fighters from oversees, sent by "Syria's enemies" such as Saudi Arabia, Israel or the US. Assad no longer denies his army is aided by thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, who are assisting the Syrian army to ward off the rebels
However, reports regarding North Korean officers in the field are relatively rare. In an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, director of a Syrian human rights center, Rami Abed A-Rachman, said that the number of North Korean officers in Syria is unknown, although there are definitely between
11 and 15 Arabic speaking North Korean officers in Aleppo.
Hezbollah fighters man Syrian military's tanks
Meanwhile there has been an escalation in the participation of Hezbollah in the civil war in Syria, as troops affiliated with the Shiite militant group now operate tanks of Bashar Assad's regime army in their battles against insurgent near the rebel-held town of Qusair in western Syria. Arab sources told Ynet this represents a precedent for Hezbollah as it continues to boost its support of the embattled Syrian ruler.
Rebel sources said thousands of Hezbollah fighters gathered outside Aleppo Sunday, which was confirmed by Hezbollah.
"Battle over Aleppo started on a small scale, and we are only now entering the game," a senior Hezbollah told The Washington Post speaking from Beirut. "We will go to their strongholds, where they think they are protected. They are going to collapse like a house of cards."
The tanks manned by Hezbollah men have not yet crossed the border to Lebanon. The fighting is monitored by the IDF, which regards the vicinities of Qusair as a major route of weapon transfer between Syria and Lebanon.
North Korean officers join Assad's forces - Israel News, Ynetnews