An Iranian "Foreign Legion" consisting mostly of Shia Muslim mercenaries from Pakistan and Afghanistan and aided by the terrorist group Hezbollah, continues to fight in Syria on the side of beleaguered Syrian president Bashar-al Assad, who is also supported by Russia.

The Shia Foreign Legion now consists of more than 25,000 men, a number equal to the strength of two conventional motorized rifle divisions of the Russian Ground Forces.

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This Shia fighting force, however, battles exclusively against Syrian rebel forces allied with the United States and not against ISIS, said Avi Dichter, chairman of Israel's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and former head of Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency.

"This is a foreign legion of some 25,000 militants, most of whom have come from Afghanistan and Pakistan," said Dichter. "They are fighting in Syria only against the rebels and not against ISIS."

Dichter apparently drew on his extensive contacts in the Israeli intelligence community (of which he was a part for some three decades) as the source of this information. During his term as Shin Bet director, the spy agency spearheaded counter-insurgency and intelligence operations deep inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip, reducing the number of attacks against Israel during the Second Intifada that began in September 2000.

Dichter also said Iran has the support of Hezbollah in the fight against anti-Assad rebels in the Syrian Civil War. A Lebanese militant group declared a foreign terrorist organization by the West, Hezbollah is heavily supported with weapons and training by Iran. Hezbollah is based in Lebanon

Hezbollah, which was declared a terrorist group by the Sunni-dominated Arab League in March 2016, has extensive combat experience in Syria, having fought on the side of Assad since 2013. Dichter said 1,600 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in Syria.

The Arab League and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council have been increasing the pressure on Hezbollah to leave Syria, which is backed by Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year.

On the other hand, Hezbollah has blamed Saudi Arabia for pressuring Lebanon into silencing it.

"The Iranians enlisted Hezbollah ... to fight in Syria because the Iranian army is better suited to fight as an army against another army, while the Hezbollah militants are adept at fighting against terror groups," said Dichter.

"The fighting has made (Hezbollah) a better fighting force and more adept in conventional military warfare."

TagsIran, Foreign Legion, Shia Foreign Legion, Syria, Syrian Civil War, Hezbollah, Shin Bet, Avi Dichter, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan