Iran‘s top general in Syria acknowledged they were “defeated very badly” with the collapse of the Assad regime, which represented a candid assessment divergent from other messages out of Tehran since the fall of the government.

We were defeated and defeated very badly, we took a very big blow, and it’s been very difficult,” Esbati noted.

Iranian state TV on Friday showed the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps touring an underground missile base used in an attack against Israel, hours after fighters marched through Tehran.

Thousands of fighters linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps paraded with heavy weapons and vehicles through the streets of Tehran on Friday showing their readiness to face "threats". "We also want to show that the Basij are ready to confront all threats from enemies of the Islamic revolution,