Official: Iran has sent more military advisers to Syria

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian official says the Revolutionary Guard has sent more military advisers to Syria to help President Bashar Assad in the fight against insurgents.

Gen. Hossein Salami, the Guard's deputy leader, says this has led to more Iranian deaths in the conflict. Salami didn't give any specifics for the Iranian death toll or for the number of troops dispatched.

Salami spoke to state television on Tuesday. He says Iranian forces are also trying to mobilize volunteers in Syria to help Assad push back rebels, though he did not say if those included Western-backed rebel groups fighting in Syria.

Along with Russia, Iran is a key Assad ally and has provided his government with military and political backing for years. Tehran, however, denies the presence of Iranian combat troops in Syria.