:00:00. > :00:11.untold story, with a dramatic outcome.
:00:12. > :00:27.A year ago, the rebels in Syria seems to have the upper hand.
:00:28. > :00:29.Something has changed. The rebels say Syrian government forces are
:00:30. > :00:40.being bolstered by a neighbouring power.
:00:41. > :00:46.Soldiers from Iran's Revolutionary Guard are on the ground in helping
:00:47. > :00:53.to turn the tide of the world. When this secret footage, shot by an
:00:54. > :00:58.uranium, fell into rebel hands, the extent of Iran's role in Syria was
:00:59. > :01:04.exposed the first time. If there is one country interfering with Syria,
:01:05. > :01:12.it is Iran. It is the story of two man, a young filmmaker and a veteran
:01:13. > :01:19.fighter. Both are being caught up in a vicious conflict on foreign soil.
:01:20. > :01:25.It is a story of life and death, and the hidden reality of a battle
:01:26. > :01:31.fought in the shadows. Iran denies sending military forces to support
:01:32. > :01:32.President Assad. This film is proof of the Ayatollah's secret war in
:01:33. > :02:10.Syria. A government air base near Damascus
:02:11. > :02:19.in Syria. Boarding the helicopter flight is this man, he is a 30
:02:20. > :02:24.`year`old filmmaker from Iran. It is his second trip to Syria and he is
:02:25. > :02:30.on the sensitive assignment. He is making a film on the half of Iran's
:02:31. > :02:36.Elyse Revolutionary Guard. Aleppo in northern Syria, this section of the
:02:37. > :02:43.war`ravaged city is under the control of the Assad regime. Here he
:02:44. > :02:54.is again, in footage filmed by a colleague.
:02:55. > :03:11.Filming in Syria's civil war is a hazardous occupation.
:03:12. > :03:15.In September, a group of Syrian rebels contacted the international
:03:16. > :03:20.media saying they had captured a video camera after a battle. They
:03:21. > :03:24.said it contained footage which proved their long stated allegation,
:03:25. > :03:26.that Iranians forces were on the ground in Syria and supporting the
:03:27. > :03:53.Assad regime. After burning their own logo onto
:03:54. > :03:58.the pictures, the rebels put the captured footage of a secret place
:03:59. > :04:01.on you Tube. They also said they had recovered special identity cards
:04:02. > :04:08.belonging to an uranium battlefield commander. `` Iranians. It allowed
:04:09. > :04:13.him to carry weapons and travel anywhere in Syria. Such permits are
:04:14. > :04:22.only offered to important regime personnel. This man, born in
:04:23. > :04:28.northern Iran is a veteran commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Were
:04:29. > :04:41.the rebels telling the truth, or was this an elaborate hoax? Broadcasting
:04:42. > :04:48.House in London, the headquarters of the BBC. A small team of journalists
:04:49. > :04:55.is examining all of the captured video. It seems to have been shot in
:04:56. > :05:00.northern Syria over a period of about four days in late August this
:05:01. > :05:05.year. Accents, uniforms, equipment and local landmarks have all been
:05:06. > :05:10.analysed by experts from the BBC's Persian and Arabic services.
:05:11. > :05:16.Everything in the footage points to its authenticity. We have heard a
:05:17. > :05:21.lot that the Revolutionary Guard are in Syria fighting. We had not seen
:05:22. > :05:26.any proof until now. When I watched this footage, I was convinced it was
:05:27. > :05:30.real. The way these people talk, the way they behave, and some
:05:31. > :05:40.confidential information received from sources in Iran tells me it is
:05:41. > :05:44.real. This is the first time all of the material shot has been pieced
:05:45. > :05:49.together. It is likely that it was never intended for public broadcast.
:05:50. > :05:53.It was some sort of internal Revolutionary Guard project. When
:05:54. > :05:58.you watch the footage, it becomes obvious that despite their repeated
:05:59. > :06:02.denials, he wryly secretly playing a critical role in helping turn the
:06:03. > :06:09.tide of the war back in favour of the Assad regime. The captured
:06:10. > :06:15.footage starts in some sort of pro` regime are terry facility in Aleppo.
:06:16. > :06:22.The filmmaker is now behind the camera. These signs written in
:06:23. > :06:27.Arabic and Farsi warned people not to take any photographs on their
:06:28. > :06:37.mobile phones. Such restrictions do not seem to apply to the filmmaker.
:06:38. > :06:46.These soldiers are all uranium `` Irani and. This is a communications
:06:47. > :06:53.room, a very sensitive location. The radio operator is Irani and. When he
:06:54. > :07:01.tries to engage in conversation, the man seems uncomfortable being
:07:02. > :07:05.filmed. The access he had to fill operations in Syria is remarkable.
:07:06. > :07:10.Only a trusted insider would be allowed the free reign he seems to
:07:11. > :07:16.enjoy. He may have been a member of the guard, released part of the
:07:17. > :07:25.auxiliary forces. Who are the Revolutionary Guard is, and why are
:07:26. > :07:35.they helping the regime? Following the Islamic revolution in 1979, the
:07:36. > :07:41.Ayatollah became the supreme leader. The Revolutionary Guard was set up
:07:42. > :07:46.to defend the regime. When Saddam Hussein's Iraqi invaded, the
:07:47. > :07:53.Revolutionary Guard prove themselves exceptionally loyal and brave
:07:54. > :07:58.fighters. Through the eight`year conflict, Syria was the only Arab
:07:59. > :08:04.country to stand by Tehran. That is something the leadership has never
:08:05. > :08:09.forgotten. As for the Revolutionary Guard, their power and influence has
:08:10. > :08:15.grown to such an extent that they are almost a state within a state.
:08:16. > :08:22.It is not just a battlefield force, it is a force involved in logistics,
:08:23. > :08:26.intelligence, economic projects, major infrastructure and
:08:27. > :08:32.engineering. It supports the goals of the Islamic Republic, but it also
:08:33. > :08:37.has its own specific goals, to extend its own economic and
:08:38. > :08:42.political interests. The Revolutionary Guard have a special
:08:43. > :08:49.Branch named after the Islamic term for Jerusalem. To run says it
:08:50. > :08:54.ultimately wants to liberate it. And Irani and cross between the CIA and
:08:55. > :08:59.the Special Forces. They effectively run our own covert foreign policy.
:09:00. > :09:04.Right now their main concern is helping President Assad when the
:09:05. > :09:12.civil law. Iran is propping up the Assad regime. It is their main ally,
:09:13. > :09:19.there are only Arab ally. It is their means of projecting power. If
:09:20. > :09:23.Assad falls, Iran's foreign policy objectives will be constrained. They
:09:24. > :09:28.are doing everything they can to keep the site in power by means of
:09:29. > :09:35.finances, money, training, intelligence and equipment. Back on
:09:36. > :09:43.the ground in Syria, they are now attached to a group of Revolutionary
:09:44. > :09:47.Guard based in south`eastern Aleppo. In this footage, they are taking a
:09:48. > :10:02.tour of the city's frontline areas. His guides seem keen to show off the
:10:03. > :10:31.local danger zones. The two men in front the jeep a
:10:32. > :10:43.veteran fighters. The cameraman sounds increasingly concerned.
:10:44. > :10:52.Eventually, they pull up at a house in a suburb of Aleppo. It is where
:10:53. > :10:58.this particular unit of the Revolutionary Guard are living. The
:10:59. > :11:02.man sitting on the right`hand side is a man whose ID was later captured
:11:03. > :11:08.by the rebels. An experienced for Scamander, he says he has over 60
:11:09. > :11:11.was of duty in Syria in the past 1.5 years. He will be the main character
:11:12. > :11:28.in the film. Relaxed and humorous, he
:11:29. > :11:31.nevertheless has a very ideological view of the Syrian conflict runs's
:11:32. > :12:32.role in it. The footage shows these are a
:12:33. > :12:38.tightknit group. This is the leader's right`hand man. He is the
:12:39. > :12:41.joker in the pack. He appears religious leaders always laughing
:12:42. > :12:47.and clowning around. Both of these men speak Arabic. Neither are
:12:48. > :12:53.particularly young. That, say the experts, is exactly the point. The
:12:54. > :12:56.force officers that have gone into Syria are therefore training,
:12:57. > :13:02.basically. They are experienced fighters. They have seen action on
:13:03. > :13:10.the ground in Iraqi. Many of them have trained has belied in Levin on
:13:11. > :13:21.and train has belied in Iran itself. They are released. The slick elite.
:13:22. > :13:24.One of the things these advisers is trying to do is to win the hearts
:13:25. > :13:29.and minds of local people in the areas they control. He is openly
:13:30. > :14:30.critical of his Syria now the allies for their attitudes to the Syrians.
:14:31. > :14:32.It is textbook hearts and minds stuff.
:14:33. > :14:41.But it hides a less respectful attitude.
:14:42. > :14:48.His footage shows and other of the Guardsman's tasks, that is their
:14:49. > :14:53.most important, is to train and organise a new group, known as the
:14:54. > :14:56.National defence Force, or MDF. The Revolutionary guards have a long
:14:57. > :15:01.history of merging militias across the Middle East. That it seems the
:15:02. > :15:16.NDF are not being trained on the ground in Syria itself,
:15:17. > :15:23.The National defence Force is a network of pro`Assad militias,
:15:24. > :15:30.mainly composed of Alawites, Shia muslins, and some Christians. They
:15:31. > :15:34.are loyalists as Matt, all of whom fear a rebel victory. But the very
:15:35. > :15:39.make`up of the NDF may actually deep the sectarian divide in Syria in the
:15:40. > :15:44.long run. But the Revolutionary guards are not just providing
:15:45. > :15:45.training. According to the filmmaker, the role as military
:15:46. > :16:37.advisers is a very hands on one. So these Iranian Revolutionary
:16:38. > :16:41.guards are involved in hearts and minds, in training militia, and are
:16:42. > :16:46.seemingly conducting military operations. That is it working? He
:16:47. > :16:50.is a weapons expert who specialises in analysing the many thousands of
:16:51. > :16:55.online videos that have come out of the city and conflict. But he says
:16:56. > :17:00.that Hadi Baghbani's footage really stood out. The Iranian intervention
:17:01. > :17:08.has been quite useful for the Syrian army. The big problem that I used to
:17:09. > :17:14.see in Syria, you would have tanks driving into towns, not supported by
:17:15. > :17:26.infantry. Because they could not be trusted. Because they came from the
:17:27. > :17:33.Sunni populations. So the situation that you are having now, they asked
:17:34. > :17:34.supported by infantry. It must be coming from the National defence
:17:35. > :17:49.Force. His camera also captures the
:17:50. > :17:55.Iranians in some more relaxed moments. While most of the squad are
:17:56. > :17:59.busy themselves preparing dinner, the deputy commander is washing his
:18:00. > :18:08.clothing. He has been singing a pop song. Realising that he is being
:18:09. > :18:13.filmed, and that his conservative superiors may watch the footage, he
:18:14. > :18:14.literally changes his tune, and start singing a more Islamic style
:18:15. > :18:41.instead. At evening prayers, the group
:18:42. > :19:04.gathers together. It is an opportunity to crack another joke.
:19:05. > :19:13.The sun rises over Aleppo. But this will not be AT school day. Reports
:19:14. > :19:17.are coming in that a force of rebel fighters is moving in on a nearby
:19:18. > :19:34.regime stronghold, known as the poultry farm, close to this place.
:19:35. > :19:44.His units get some reinforcements from the local NDF militia that they
:19:45. > :19:54.are training. There is no considerate driving style now. This
:19:55. > :19:57.is a military emergency. The two truckloads of fighters had to the
:19:58. > :20:02.poultry farm base as fast as they can.
:20:03. > :20:11.The camera captures this reflect a shot. He is in military uniform,
:20:12. > :20:17.carrying his camera in one hand, and a Kalashnikov in the other. But any
:20:18. > :20:27.enthusiasm for real`life combat does not last. The veteran fighter is no
:20:28. > :20:34.longer making jokes. He knows what could happen next. This is no
:20:35. > :20:38.laughing matter. There are about 40 fighters now gathered in the base,
:20:39. > :20:49.including at least one other squad of Iranian military advisers. All
:20:50. > :20:55.these men know an attack is coming. Esmail Heydari and the other person
:20:56. > :21:02.the desk what on a record mission. They want to secure the right`hand
:21:03. > :21:14.flank of the battlefield. He sounds unsettled.
:21:15. > :21:21.At first glance, this Iranian led group looks well`equipped for a
:21:22. > :21:32.fight. Then Esmail Heydari spots movement on the horizon.
:21:33. > :21:38.What the Iranians cannot see is that there are a far more than three
:21:39. > :21:42.rebels. What you are seeing now is footage filmed by the rebels' own
:21:43. > :21:48.cameraman, as their column of fighters advance towards the combat
:21:49. > :21:55.zone. They are both outnumbering the other squad, and have much heavier
:21:56. > :22:26.weapons, including a tank. The Iranians are heading into an ambush.
:22:27. > :22:32.With bullets slicing through the cornfield and mortar rounds crashing
:22:33. > :22:49.in, the group is pinned down. Realising the danger, he makes a run
:22:50. > :22:54.for it. The others tried to retreat. But it is too late. These are the
:22:55. > :23:15.last images that have been filmed. Two days later, Esmail Heydari is
:23:16. > :23:21.buried with full military honours in Iran. Its final confirmation of his
:23:22. > :23:32.important role in the Revolutionary guards. This is Hadi Baghbani. His
:23:33. > :23:39.body is still covered with his blood. He too has joined the rates
:23:40. > :23:46.on `` the ranks of Iran's martyrs from the Syrian wall. He never made
:23:47. > :23:54.a home to his wife. All his three`year`old daughter. He never
:23:55. > :23:59.lived to see his film going out. Even after all of this, the
:24:00. > :24:00.Revolutionary guards continue to deny they have a military presence
:24:01. > :24:14.in Syria. The rebels think the guards are
:24:15. > :24:16.trying to further sectarian eyes the conflict. Others argue it is all
:24:17. > :24:47.about geopolitics and self interest. It is not surprising to me that in
:24:48. > :24:51.Syria, it ran has given training both to the regular Syrian Armed
:24:52. > :24:58.Forces, and also the paramilitary groups. The paramilitary groups may
:24:59. > :25:05.well outlast the Assad regime. It is one way that Iran keeps its options
:25:06. > :25:09.open. Even if the President force, it will have a force that is
:25:10. > :25:15.committed to it, but relies upon Iran for training and support. So
:25:16. > :25:23.that Iran can continue to maintain a presence and a group of allies in
:25:24. > :25:28.Syria. The story of Hadi Baghbani and Esmail Heydari shines a light on
:25:29. > :25:34.to Iran's covert war in Syria. But it is also a snapshot of a far wider
:25:35. > :25:40.tragedy. With more than 100,000, mostly Syrians, killed so far,
:25:41. > :25:42.there's are about to Mork `` two more lives cut short in the human
:25:43. > :26:21.catastrophe that is Syria today. It has been a wet start to the
:26:22. > :26:27.night. The rains are clearing. More wet and windy weather on the way for
:26:28. > :26:32.the weekend. : with many of the bonfire displays. Not a great
:26:33. > :26:36.combination. Even ahead of that, issues with fog. The low pressure
:26:37. > :26:40.has gone through. It is giving the heavy rain across Wales in central
:26:41. > :26:45.England. This is the one that we are watching for Saturday. It is
:26:46. > :26:50.starting to build up. It is going to come through quite quickly but give
:26:51. > :26:51.us a nasty conditions with gales and severe gales. The lack of