Moldy semi-finished food on bunk beds, discarded military uniforms and abandoned weapons - these are the remnants of the sudden retreat of the base that once belonged to Iran and its affiliated groups in Syria.

The scene tells a panic story. The troops stationed here had little warning to escape, leaving behind a decade-long appearance, and disappeared in just a few weeks.

Iran is the most critical ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for more than a decade. It deployed military advisers, mobilized foreign militias, and made substantial investments in the war in Syria.

Its elite Islamic Revolutionary Defender (IRGC) has built a network of deep underground bases that provide weapons and training to thousands of fighters. For Iran, this is also part of the "safety belt" for Israel.

We are near the town of Khanzekon in Idlib province. Before the Assad regime declined on December 8, it was one of the main strategic locations for the IRGC and its allied groups.

From the main road, the entrance is barely visible, hidden behind a pile of sand and rocks. The watchtower on the top of the mountain, still painted in the colors of the Iranian flag, overlooking the base.

Receipt notebook confirms the name of the base: Martyr Zahdi's location - named after Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the top IRGC commander who was in Iran on April 1, 2024 The Iranian consulate was suspected of being assassinated at the Iranian consulate.

Recent orders - we found receipts for chocolate, rice, cooking oil - recommended daily life continues until the last minute. But now, the base has new crews – two armed Uyghur fighters from the Islamic militant group Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), whose leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa Has become Syria's new interim president.

Uyghurs arrived suddenly in a military vehicle and asked us to obtain our media certification.

"Iranians are here. They all run away," one said. "Whatever you see here. Even these onions and leftover food."

The box filled with fresh onions in the yard has now sprouted.

The base is a maze of digging deep rocky hills. Some rooms without windows have bunk beds. The roof of one of the corridors was covered with fabric in the colors of the Iranian flag, and there were several rock shelves on Persian bookshelf.

They left files containing sensitive information. In Persian, they all have detailed information on the combatant’s personal information, military personnel codes, home address, spouse’s name and mobile phone number. Judging from the name, it is obvious that several soldiers at this base are from the Afghan brigade where Iran is fighting in Syria.

Sources related to Iranian support groups told the BBC Persian that the homes at the base were mainly accompanied by Iranian "military advisers" and their Iranian commanders.

Tehran's main reason for military involvement in Syria is to "fight against jihadist groups" and to protect the "Shia Temple" from radical Sunni militants.

It created a paramilitary group consisting primarily of Afghan, Pakistani and Iraqi fighters.

However, when the last moment came, Iran was not ready. The retreat orders reached some foundation at the last minute. “The development happened so quickly,” a senior member of the Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary group told me. "The order is to take your backpack away."

Several sources close to the IRGC told the BBC that most troops had to flee to Iraq, and some were ordered to go to Lebanon or Russian bases and were evacuated from Syria by Russians.

HTS fighter Mohammad Al Rabbat has witnessed the organization's progress from Idlib to Aleppo and the Syrian capital Damascus.

He said they think their operations will be "about a year" and best of all, they "captured Aleppo in three to six months." But to their surprise, they entered Aleppo within a few days.

The rapid fall of the regime was caused by a series of events following Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

The attack led to Israeli air strikes on IRGC and Iran-backed groups and war on another major Iranian allies - the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, whose leaders were killed in the air strikes.

Rabat, 35, said this "psychological collapse" between Iran and Hezbollah is at the heart of their fall.

But the most critical blow comes from the inside: a rift broke out between Assad and his Iranian link allies.

"The trust and military cooperation between them have taken a complete breakdown. The IRGC-related groups blame Assad for betrayal and believe he is giving up his position to Israel."

As we passed by Shaykhun of Khan, we encountered a street scattered with the colors of the Iranian flag. It led to a teaching building used as Iranian headquarters.

The slogan is on the wall at the entrance of the toilet and reads: "Don with Israel" and "Subduing with America".

Obviously, these headquarters were also evacuated in a short period of time. We found documents classified as "highly sensitive".

Abdullah, 65, and his family are the few locals who live here with an IRGC-led group. He said this life is difficult.

His house is only a few meters away from the headquarters, and between the two, there is a deep groove with barbed wire.

"Enjoyment at night is prohibited," he said.

His neighbor's home became a military post. "They sat there with guns pointing at the road and treating us all as suspects," he recalled.

Most fighters don't even speak Arabic, he said. "They are Afghans, Iranians, Hezbollah. But we call them all Iranians because Iran is controlling them."

Abdullah's wife Jourieh said she was glad that the "Iranian militia" had left but still remembered the "pressure" moment before their withdrawal. She thought they would be trapped in the firefight because Iran-backed groups were strengthening their positions and preparing for battle, but then “they just disappeared within a few hours”.

"It's a profession. Iran's occupation." Abdo said he, like everyone else, returned here with his family 10 years later. His house has also become a military base.

In many conversations with Syrians, I observed this anger towards Iran and a softer attitude towards Russia.

I asked Rabbat, HTS fighter, why is this happening.

He explained: "The Russians are throwing bombs from the sky, and other than that, when they are at the base, while the Iranians and militia are interacting. People feel their presence and many are not satisfied with it."

This feeling is reflected in Syria's new ruler's policy toward Iran.

The new authorities, together with the Israelis, prohibit Iranian nationals from entering Syria. But there is no ban on the Russians.

The Iranian embassy was hit by angry protesters after the fall of the regime and remained closed.

Iranian officials’ response to Syria’s development is contradictory.

Although Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on “Syrian youth” to “boycott” those who “will be unstable” to “resist” those who “resist”, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has adopted a more balanced view.

It said the country "supports any government supported by the Syrian people."

In his first interview, Syria’s new leader Sharaa described their victory against Assad as “the end of the Iranian project.” But he did not rule out a "balanced" relationship with Tehran.

However, Iran is currently unpopular in Syria. After years of military presence, everything that Tehran has built is now in trouble on the battlefield, and it seems to be in much of Syria.

Back to the abandoned base, Iran's military expansion is still underway even in the last few days. Next to the camp are more tunnels under construction, apparently the beginning of a field hospital. The cement on the walls is still wet and the paint is fresh.

But what remains now is evidence of a brief battle - some bullets and a military uniform covered in blood.