Al Mayadeen – December 7, 2024
Syria Army redeploys in Daraa, Sweida, regaining control in Homs, Hama
A military source in the Syrian Army says forces operating in the countryside of Hama and Homs carried out intense artillery and missile strikes on militants' positions and their supply lines.
The Syrian Army confirmed on Saturday that its forces operating in the southern governorates of Daraa and Sweida have carried out a redeployment and repositioning, establishing a strong and cohesive security perimeter in that direction.
A statement issued by the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces said the redeployment and repositioning came after "terrorist elements" attacked scattered army checkpoints and positions with the aim of diverting the Armed Forces, which have begun to regain control in the governorates of Homs and Hama.
The statement emphasized that the Armed Forces are addressing the developments with a focus on ensuring the security of the nation and its citizens and will confront terrorism with full resolve and strength.
While the Syrian Army is combating armed groups in the governorates of Homs and Hama, other militants in southern Syria are attacking army positions in Daraa and Sweida.
Meanwhile, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the Syrian army has established a number of key controlling points as a preemptive step to prevent militants from heading toward the capital, Damascus.
Militants' supply lines targeted
A military source in the Syrian Army stated that forces operating in the countryside of Hama and Homs carried out intense artillery and missile strikes on "terrorist positions and their supply lines, achieving direct hits among their ranks."
Additionally, Syrian and Russian warplanes conducted focused strikes on militants' gatherings in the northeastern countryside of Homs, resulting in the killing of dozens of militants and the destruction of their vehicles.
The Syrian Defense Ministry said that joint Syrian-Russian airstrikes target terrorists in the western Hama countryside and northeastern Homs countryside.
The Ministry said that Syrian Army forces operating in the western Hama countryside and northeastern Homs countryside are carrying out artillery and missile strikes against terrorist supply lines.
A Syrian military source pointed out that terrorists are entering some villages and asking residents for permission to film videos, which they intend to use as part of their media warfare campaign.
Reuters cited Syrian sources as saying that Syrian opposition militants claim they have taken control of al-Quneitra in the Syrian Golan.
Meanwhile, Syrian television reported that the number of killings among "al-Nusra Front terrorists and its affiliates" has risen to nearly 2,500 over the past week, during the army's confrontation with their forces, supported by Syrian and Russian air power.
On Friday, the Syrian Army carried out a special operation in the direction of al-Dar al-Kabirah - Talbiseh - Rastan, in northern Homs, where dozens of militants were killed, causing panic, confusion, and mass flight among their ranks, according to a military source in the Syrian Ministry of Defense.
A military source also denied reports circulated by some media outlets and social media pages affiliated with terrorist organizations regarding any withdrawal of Syrian army units from around the city of Homs and its countryside.
Tehran denies reports about evacuation of embassy in Damascus
In a related context, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Saturday denied claims that Iran had evacuated its embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, affirming that the embassy is continuing its regular operations.
In response to a question from ISNA regarding reports by some Western media outlets, Baghaei stated that the news about the evacuation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's embassy in Damascus is incorrect, asserting that the embassy continues its activities.
The New York Times claimed on Friday evening that Iran had begun evacuating its forces from Syria, transferring them from Damascus to Lebanon, Iraq, and Tehran.
Larijani meets Assad, conveys Iran's support for Syria against militants
Ali Larijani, an advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to convey the Islamic Republic’s support for the Syrian government amid an offensive by militant forces.
An informed source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Press TV website on Saturday that the meeting took place in the Syrian capital on Friday.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian legislator roundly dismissed allegations about the closure of the country’s embassy in Syria and evacuation of its personnel as well as military advisors from Damascus, stressing that the diplomats and commanders are still in the Arab country..
“We have not evacuated our advisors and embassy [staff]. They are present in Damascus,” Yaqoub Rezazadeh, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Saturday.
He expressed hope that the diplomatic endeavors, which kicked off the previous day with a visit by Larijani to Syria as well as trips by Iranian Foreign Ministry officials to Iraq and Qatar would yield satisfactory results.
Rezazadeh also denied reports that President Assad's family had departed Syria. “The news that Assad and his family left Syria is not true.”
“Dr. Larijani met with him (President Assad) in Damascus yesterday,” the top Iranian lawmaker stated.
Rezazadeh voiced concern over the unfolding developments in Syria, saying, “Negotiations have been held with the Russian government. Political and diplomatic measures have also been undertaken with the countries neighboring Syria like Turkey and Iraq as well as Russia, which has special interests in Syria.”
Earlier on Saturday, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the country’s diplomatic mission in Damascus is operating normally.
Esmaeil Baghaei unequivocally rejected claims about the evacuation of Iran’s embassy in Damascus.
“Those claims are not true. Iran’s embassy (in Damascus) is still operating and continues with its routine activities,” he pointed out.
Foreign-backed militants led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) group carried out a surprise assault in the Aleppo and Idlib countryside last month and overran several villages and towns before entering Aleppo on November 27.
Israel has been the principal supporter of militant groups that oppose the democratically-elected government of President Assad since the foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria.
Countercurrent – December 6, 2024
What Is Happening in Syria?
by Gilbert Achcar
In just a few days, after having remained relatively static for a few years, Syria has turned anew into a theatre of war of movement, in what looks like a resumption of the last major displacement of the battlefronts that took place in 2016, when the Assad regime regained control of Aleppo with Iranian and Russian support and Turkish complicity. Here we are now, facing a surprise attack accompanied by a sudden expansion of the forces of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (Organization for the Liberation of al-Sham, i.e. Syria, commonly referred to by its Arabic acronym HTS), the Salafi jihadist group that has controlled the Idlib region in northwestern Syria since 2017.
As is well known, the origin of the group goes back to Jabhat al-Nusra, which was founded in 2012 as a branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria, then announced its defection from the organization under the name Jabhat Fath al-Sham in 2016, before absorbing other groups and becoming Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham the following year. The HTS invasion of Aleppo in recent days was carried out at the expense of the Syrian regime’s army, backed by Iranian and Russian forces. As for the Turkish role, it was again one of complicity, but in the opposite direction this time, as HTS has become dependent on Turkey, which is its only outlet.
Let us take a closer look at this mayhem, starting with the Turkish role. At the beginning of the popular uprising in Syria in 2011, Ankara aspired to impose its tutelage over the Syrian opposition and through it over the country in the event of its victory. It then soon cooperated with some Arab Gulf states in supporting armed groups raising Islamic banners, when the situation got militarized and transformed from a popular uprising against a sectarian, despotic family rule into a clash between two reactionary camps, exploited by a third camp formed by the Kurdish movement. These developments paved the way for the Syrian territories to become subjected to four occupations, in addition to the Zionist occupation of the Golan Heights that began in 1967: Iranian occupation (accompanied by regional forces affiliated with Tehran, most notably Lebanon’s Hezbollah) and Russian occupation backing the Assad regime; Turkish occupation in two areas on Syria’s northern border; and US deployment in the northeast, in support for the Kurdish forces confronting ISIS or its remnants.
So, what happened in recent days? The first thing to stand out was the rapidity with which the Assad regime forces collapsed in the face of the attack, recalling the collapse of the Iraqi regular forces in the face of ISIS when it crossed the border from Syria in the summer of 2014. The reason for these two collapses lies mainly in the sectarian factor, their common feature being that the Alawite majority in the Syrian forces and the Shiite majority in the Iraqi forces had no incentive to risk their lives defending the Sunni majority areas under their control targeted by the attack. Add to this the resentment created by the existing regime’s failure to create incentivizing living conditions, especially in Syria, which has been undergoing an economic collapse and a major increase in poverty for several years. Last Saturday, the Financial Times quoted an Alawite saying: “We are prepared to protect our villages and towns, but I don’t know that Alawites will fight for Aleppo city … The regime has stopped giving us reasons to keep supporting it.”
What is clear is that HTS, along with other factions under Turkish tutelage, have decided to seize the opportunity created by the weakening of Iranian support for the Assad regime that resulted from the great losses suffered by the Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran’s main armed wing in Syria, due to Israel’s onslaught on Lebanon. This weakening, combined with the weakening of Russian support due to the involvement of the Russian armed forces in the invasion of Ukraine, created an exceptional opportunity that HTS did seize. It is also clear that Turkey blessed this attack. Since 2015, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s shift towards playing on the Turkish nationalist chord, along with his alliance with the Turkish nationalist far right, meant that his primary concern has become the fight against the Kurdish movement. In 2016, Ankara stabbed the Syrian opposition forces in the back by allowing the Syrian regime to retake Aleppo with Iranian and Russian support, in exchange for Russia allowing it to launch Operation Euphrates Shield and seize the Jarabulus area and its surroundings, north of the Aleppo Governorate, from the Kurdish forces that were dominant there.
This time too, Ankara took advantage of the attack by HTS on Aleppo to unleash its Syrian suppletive forces against the Kurdish forces. Erdogan had previously tried to reconcile with Bashar al-Assad, offering him support in extending his regime’s control over the vast area where the Kurdish movement is dominant in the northeast. However, the latter’s insistence that Turkey hand over to him the areas it controls on the northern border thwarted the effort. Erdogan then turned against the Assads again and gave his green light to HTS’s attack, angering the backers of the Syrian regime. The “difference of viewpoints” that Iran’s foreign minister alluded to during his visit to Ankara after the start of the attack, consists in the fact that Tehran sees the greater threat in HTS, while Ankara sees it in the Kurdish forces. Despite a common hostility towards the Kurdish movement, Tehran, Moscow and Damascus had concluded a long-term truce with it, waiting for the circumstances to change to allow them to resume the offensive for the control of the whole Syrian territory, while Ankara’s relationship with that movement has remained extremely hostile, in contrast with its cooperation with HTS which controls the Idlib region.
As for Israel and the United States, they are cautiously monitoring what is happening on the ground, as the two parties – the Assad regime and HTS – are almost equally bad in their eyes (despite the UAE’s efforts to whitewash the regime and Ankara’s efforts to whitewash HTS). The Zionist state’s main concern is to prevent Iran from seizing the opportunity of this new battle to strengthen its military presence on Syrian territory and find new ways to supply Hezbollah with weapons through it.
Finally, by stirring up sectarian animosities, these developments are pushing away the only hopeful perspective that arose in recent years in Syria, constituted by the massive popular protests against the deterioration of living conditions that have been taking place in the country since 2020. These protests began in the Suwayda region (inhabited by a Druze majority) in the territories controlled by the regime, and quickly turned into demanding Bashar al-Assad’s departure and the fall of the regime, thus reviving the spirit of the popular, democratic, non-sectarian uprising that Syria witnessed amid the Arab Spring, thirteen years ago. Let us hope that the unity of the people’s interests in livelihood and emancipation will, in a not-too-distant future, lead to the renewal of the original Syrian revolution and allow the country to be reunited on the democratic basis that the pioneers of the 2011 uprising dreamed of.
Translated from the Arabic original published by Al-Quds al-Arabi on 3 December 2024. Feel free to republish or publish in other languages, with mention of the source.
Gilbert Achcar grew up in Lebanon. He is a Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. His books include The New Cold War: Chronicle of a Confrontation Foretold. Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab Uprising; The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising; The Clash of Barbarisms; Perilous Power: The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy; and The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives. He is a member of Anti-Capitalist Resistance.
https://countercurrents.org/2024/12/what-is-happening-in-syria/
Iran warns threat of armed groups ‘not limited’ to Syria, says neighbors at risk
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the threat of armed groups active in Syria will not be limited to the country and will spread to Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey.
Araghchi was speaking in a joint press conference with his Iraqi and Syrian counterparts Fuad Hussein and Bassam Sabbagh in Baghdad on Friday.
If Syria becomes a safe haven for terrorists and the ground is prepared for the return of terrorist groups, including Daesh, this will pose a major threat to the entire region, he warned.
Pointing to three messages of the tripartite meeting in Baghdad, he said, “The first message is to support the Syrian government and people in the fight against Takfiri terrorist groups.”
He expressed confidence that Takfiri terrorist groups are carrying out their attacks as part of an American-Zionist plot, emphasizing, “The role of the Zionists in designing this conspiracy should not be overlooked.”
“Iran has always supported the Syrian government and people in their fight against terrorist groups and will continue to do so with all its might and with whatever is needed and requested by the Syrian government,” Araghchi pointed out.
The top Iranian diplomat once again warned that terrorism knows no bounds, saying the fight against the scourge should not be limited to borders.
“In order to protect our own security, we must support the security of our neighbors in the fight against terrorism,” he pointed out.
He urged a non-discriminatory fight against terrorism, saying the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Nusra Front have been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011, with Damascus saying the Western states and their regional allies are aiding terrorist groups to wreak havoc in the Arab country.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham armed group launched a large-scale attack in Aleppo and Idlib provinces in the northwest of Syria on November 27, seizing several areas. Since then, the Syrian government forces have been engaged in fierce clashes to regain ground.
As terror victim, Iraq will continue to fight terrorism: Hussein
The Iraqi foreign minister condemned the ongoing attacks in Syria by terrorists who are listed as a terrorist group by the UN.
Hussein said his country has been a victim of terrorism and will continue to fight it.
He added that security of Iraq links to security in Syria and other neighboring countries.
Hussein underscored the importance of preventing the spread of war and terrorist attacks to his country, saying the Iraqi armed and security forces as well as fighters of the resistance movement Hashd al-Shaabi and Kurdish Peshmerga are fully prepared to protect the country’s territory and people.
Syrian army fulfilling duties in anti-terror fight: Sabbagh
Sabbagh said the Syrian army is conducting its duties to fight terrorist groups, adding that the moves by terrorist groups have displaced a portion of his country’s people.
The Syrian foreign minister added that supporters of the terrorist groups have violated resolutions of the United Nations and Security Council as well as the agreements of the Astana peace process.
He emphasized that dangerous terrorist threats are not threatening only Syrian security but endanger security of the entire region,
He called for regional and international efforts to combat terrorist groups.
Al Mayadeen – December 6, 2024
Iran to likely increase advisors, deploy forces in Syria
A senior Iranian official tells Reuters that Iran is currently providing intelligence and satellite-related support to Syria.
Tehran has taken all necessary steps to increase the number of its military advisors and deploy forces in Syria, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.
"It is likely that Tehran will need to send military equipment, missiles and drones to Syria... Tehran has taken all necessary steps to increase the number of its military advisers in Syria and deploy forces," the official indicated on condition of anonymity.
According to the official, Iran is currently providing intelligence and satellite-related support to Syria.
The source pointed out that Iran and Iraq are exploring joint defense projects involving Resistance groups and even regular armies.
The decision to intensify airstrikes at this stage rests with Syria and Russia, the official told Reuters.
On Monday, a source from the Axis of Resistance's factions told Al Mayadeen that reinforcements from the Syrian Army's allies in the Axis of Resistance have reached the frontlines north and east of Hama, extending to the southern frontlines of Aleppo Governorate.
Separately, a source from the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) stated to Al Mayadeen that the recent terrorist attack on Syria has prompted the return of Iranian military advisors to the country. These advisors had previously left when the political process in Syria began to progress years ago.
Earlier on Friday, the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Faleh al-Fayyad, pointed out that the Syrian crisis is an internal matter, but not when it involves terrorist groups whose recent crimes are still remembered.
"Although Iraq is not a party to the crisis, it has to protect itself in light of what is happening in a neighboring country, and Syria represents our vital security area that cannot be separated from Iraq, and anyone who says otherwise is delusional," he said.
"Iraq cannot turn a blind eye when terrorist groups dominate Syria,” he underlined, pointing out that "Iraq today is different from Iraq in 2014, as is Mosul, and terrorist groups today bear the same names that we fought, and Nineveh is the largest arena that fought ISIS and others."
On his part, Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem stated in a televised speech on Thursday that the aggression on Syria is "fostered by US and Israel following their powerlessness in Gaza and their failure in attempts to sideline Syria."
Sheikh Qassem vowed that "we in Hezbollah will stand beside Syria in foiling goals of aggression against it."
