Tehran has reportedly sent around one thousand élite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) troops to back up its proxy Hezbollah forces that are fighting Islamic State terrorists in Syria. These troops will work with the Hezbollah fighters to take the town of Zabadani from IS, a goal they have been unable to accomplish in over two months of fighting. Moscow, in the meanwhile, has declined to comment on allegations that it is already has troops in Syria fighting to keep Bashar al Assad in power and is bolstering their numbers with advanced weaponry.