Iran is building a new military base in Syria where it plans to deploy thousands of troops, according to multiple Western intelligence sources. Top leaders in Tehran approved the classified project and charged the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force with building the Imam Ali Compound on the Syria-Iraq border, less than 200 miles from a U.S. Army position. Satellite images from Image Sat International (ISI) confirmed the ongoing construction, which began in recent months and is already in advanced stages. ISI analysts say that the images show five buildings capable of housing precision-guided missiles as well as a number of fortified storehouses, likely for ammunition. The construction reportedly marks the first time that Iran is building a base of this scale in Syria from scratch.