Iran extends reach with fight for land link to Mediterranean

BEIRUT – Thousands of Iranian-backed fighters in Syria's central desert are advancing east, bringing Tehran closer to its goal of securing a land corridor to the Mediterranean Sea.

The route would stretch from Iran's border, through Iraq and provide Iran with unhindered land access to allies in Syria and Lebanon. It will be the biggest prize yet for Tehran in its involvement in Syria's six-year-old civil war.

The corridor would also facilitate movement of Iranian-backed fighters between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon as well as the flow of weapons to Damascus and Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iran's main proxy group.