New York Times: Iran abandoned Bashar al-Assad and lost the will to resist after the opposition's lightning victories

The New York Times said that Iran abandoned Bashar al-Assad, which it supported for decades, and thus abandoned its entire axis after 40 years of its establishment.

The newspaper added, "While Assad needed help, Iran moved to leave, evacuating its military leaders and employees, even though Damascus was the backbone of Tehran's allies."

She continued: "The collapse of the partnership between Iran and Syria would reshape the balance of power in the Middle East, and would weaken the 'axis of resistance' that Iran has formed with its hardline allies in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria, Iraq and Yemen."

The newspaper quoted officials as saying that Tehran was shocked by the liberation of the Aleppo countryside, but was completely terrified after the liberation of Hama and Homs, and that Iran's setback was huge.

The newspaper referred to an internal memo from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which it had seen, describing the rebels’ progress as unbelievable, and revealed Iran’s surrender: “Iran accepted the fall of Assad and lost the will to resist.”

The newspaper added that the rebel forces warned Iran against sending any forces to Syria, in exchange for allowing the Guards to withdraw from Syria peacefully.