President Bashar Al-Assad delivered yesterday a concise but brutally important speech at the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, most political analysts described it as the Syrian and Assad’s victory speech after 12 years of futile concerted US-led, NATO combined participation, Arab-contributed efforts to overthrow the Syrian government, divide Syria, control West Asia, and isolate Russia, China, and Iran from the rest of the world.
The following is the full speech of President Assad at the Arab League summit with English subtitles followed by the full transcript of the English translation of the speech:
Your Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Your Majesties, Sovereigns and Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Where does one begin his speech when the dangers are no longer imminent, but realized? It begins with the hope that motivates achievement and action, and when ailments accumulate, the doctor can treat them individually, provided that he treats the underlying disease that causes them; therefore, we have to search for the major titles that threaten our future and produce our crises so we do not drown, and drown future generations in dealing with the results, not the causes.
Threats contain dangers and opportunities, and today we are facing the opportunity of the international situation change, which appears in a multipolar world as a result of the domination of the West devoid of principles, morals, friends and partners.
It is a historic opportunity to rearrange our affairs with the least amount of foreign interference, which requires repositioning us in this world that is being formed today in order for us to be an active part in it, investing in the positive atmosphere arising from the reconciliations that preceded the summit, leading to it today.
It is an opportunity to consolidate our culture in the face of the upcoming meltdown with modern liberalism that targets the innate affiliations of man and strips him of his morals and identity and to define our Arab identity with its civilizational dimension while it is falsely accused of ethnicity and chauvinism with the aim of making it in a state of conflict with the natural, national, ethnic and religious components, so it dies and our societies die with it in its struggle with itself and not with others.
The titles are too many for words, and summits are not enough (to handle), they do not begin with the crimes of the Zionist entity, rejected by the Arabs, against the resisting Palestinian people, and do not end with the danger of expansionist Ottoman thought grafted with a deviant fraternal (Muslim Brotherhood) flavor. They are not separated from the challenge of development as a top priority for our developing societies.
Here comes the role of the League of Arab States, being the natural platform for discussing and addressing various issues, provided that it develops its work system by reviewing the Charter and the rules of procedure and developing its mechanisms to keep pace with the times.
Joint Arab action needs common visions, strategies, and goals that we later turn into executive plans that need a unified policy, firm principles, and clear mechanisms and controls, then we will move from reaction to anticipation of events, and the (Arab) League will be a breathing outlet in the event of a siege, not an accomplice in it, a refuge from aggression not a platform for it.
As for the issues that concern us daily, from Libya to Syria, passing through Yemen and Sudan, and many other issues in different regions, we cannot treat diseases by treating symptoms, as all of these issues are the results of larger titles that have not been addressed previously.
As for talking about some of them, it needs to address the rifts that have arisen in the Arab arena over the past decade and to restore the League’s role as a healer of wounds, not as a deepener for them. The most important thing is to leave the internal issues to their people, as they are able to manage their affairs, and we only have to prevent external interference in their countries and help them exclusively upon request.
As for Syria, its past, present and future is Arabism, but it is an Arabism of belonging, not an Arabism of hugging, hugging is fleeting, but belonging is permanent. A person may move from one hugging to another for some reason, but it does not change his affiliation. As for the one who changes it, he is without affiliation in the first place, and whoever falls into the heart does not languish in the hugging, and Syria is the heart of Arabism and in its heart.
Ladies and Gentlemen, As we convene this summit in a turbulent world, hope rises in light of the Arab-Arab, regional and international rapprochement that culminated in this summit, which I hope will mark the beginning of a new phase of Arab action for solidarity among us, for peace in our region, for development and prosperity instead of war and destruction.
In keeping with the five minutes allotted for speaking, I would like to extend my deep thanks to the heads of delegations who have expressed their deep-rooted affection towards Syria and reciprocate them, I also thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (Saudi King) for the great role he played and the intense efforts he made to promote reconciliation in our region and for the success of this summit, I wish him and His Highness the Crown Prince and the brotherly Saudi people continued progress and prosperity, and peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.
End of the transcript.
The Arab League had two important summits in the past 12 years, the first one was when the Qatari-led powerless US-dominated Arabs illegally expelled Syria from the League it was an establishing member 26 years before Qatar state came into existence, illegally because they failed to adhere to the League’s Charter to obtain a unanimous decision on expelling Syria; and the second was yesterday, May 19th, 2023, in which Syria restored the Arab League from the USA and its regional poodles.
During the past 12 years, the evil camp, the US-led camp of criminal regimes including the European Union countries, the Gulfies, and some Arab states, NATO other countries, especially Turkey, NATO proxy entities spearheaded by Israel have combined their efforts to overthrow the Syrian government, during this period, the evil camp prioritized killing Syrians and destroying the cradle of civilization over their own people’s wellbeing, health, infrastructure, and even basic needs.
Estimates of hundreds of billions of dollars / Euros, Riyals, and all other currencies were spent to destroy Syria, the least estimates arrive at half a trillion dollars, that’s 500 billion US dollars, a large portion of which was paid by the Gulfies with Saudi Arabia and Qatar alone spending 138 billion dollars between early 2011 and May 2017, former Qatari PM Hamad bin Jassim admitted that much on his own state official TV. The US taxpayers contributed the next large portion, and the European Union taxpayers contributed the rest.
Hundreds of thousands of terrorists were recruited from across the planet and were dumped into Syria from all its borders, the Syrian Arab Army alone managed to eliminate 125,000 of those between early March 2011 and September 2015 when the Russian air force joined the war against the world’s largest terrorist army and was effectively destroying their logistical supply routes and depots.
There’s still much to do to complete the victory, the expelling of the armies of NATO ‘defensive’ alliance, the Turkish and US armies, and their proxy terrorists, ISIS, al Qaeda, and the Kurdish SDF separatists being the top priority to restore Syria’s sovereignty. Then the battle to rebuild what the USA and its proxies destroyed.
The victory of Syria after all those years, all that wasted money and lives, all that mayhem and carnage, all that suffering, helped bring back the world’s balance from the hands of the few ruling the West. President Assad’s concise speech turned a page on 12 years of the main part of the final chapter of one of history’s most criminal empires, the USA and its Western cronies.
During his visit to Sayyeda Zeinab (A.S.) Holy Shrine in Damascus Countryside, the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi led the worshippers’ prayer.
The Iranian president also visited the Holy Shrine of Sayyeda Roqayya (A.S.) in Damascus.
President Raisi stressed that Syria managed to emerge victorious from the 12-year terrorist war, adding that the Islamic Republic will support Syria during the reconstruction stage just it did during the hard times.
Addressing a public ceremony held on Wednesday at Sayyeda Zeinab (A.S.) Holy Shrine in Damascus Countryside, Sayyed Raisi said that the meeting is aimed at celebrating the victory over terror and thank Holy God for this bless.
The Iranian President maintained that the relation between Iran and Syria is popularly emotional and governmentally strategic.
The acts of resistance in Palestine and the whole region against the Israeli enemy led to changing the circumstances in favor of the axis of resistance, according to Sayyed Raisi who added that Iran will keep supporting the Resistance groups in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.
Sayyed Raisi also highlighted the role of the Palestinian resistance fighters in liberating Al-Quds, saying that they can take the initiative.
On 3 January 2020, the US military assassinated Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with his companion, the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Three years later, the motives for this decision – and its timing – are still being debated. The reasons for the US’s shock killing, however, may not be solely related to Soleimani’s role in regional conflicts, but could also arguably stem from his growing international clout.
Why was Soleimani assassinated?
Soleimani was reportedly responsible for leading Iran’s plan to surround Israel with an arc of missiles and precision drones in the West Asian region – from Lebanon to Syria, Iraq and Gaza, all the way to Yemen – which was viewed by Israeli officials as an existential threat to the Jewish state.
The US has long accused Soleimani of being behind much of the resistance it faced after invading Iraq in 2003, as well as allegedly ordering operations against US forces in the period leading up to his assassination.
The Quds Force commander – along with Muhandis – were critical in the Iraqi effort to defeat ISIS, outside of the control and agenda of the US and its regional allies, who often used the terrorist group to secure political and geographic gains.
Furthermore, the US held Iran, and by extension Soleimani, responsible for the Yemeni attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facilities on 14 September, 2019. The Aramco attack was so massive that it disrupted half of Saudi oil production, and was the largest of its kind since former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
A leader in the Resistance Axis
Soleimani was the “keyholder” in the Axis of Resistance, according to an Arab politician with strong ties to decision-making circles in both Washington and Riyadh.
“Hajj Qassem,” says the politician, was uniquely capable of making decisions and then implementing them, which is considered a “rare advantage” among leaders. He was able to achieve significant strategic results – rapidly – by moving freely and negotiating directly with various statesmen, militias, and political movements.
Examples of this are rife: The Quds Force commander persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015 to intervene militarily in Syria, and organized the complex ‘frenemy’ relationship between Turkiye and Tehran through Turkish intelligence director Hakan Fidan.
Soleimani played a pivotal role in preventing the fall of Damascus, maintained and developed important links with Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah in Beirut, led a region wide campaign to defeat ISIS, and successfully managed the delicate balances between various political components in Iraq. In Yemen, he was able to supply the Ansarallah movement with training and arms that arguably changed the course of the Saudi-led aggression.
Together or separately, the aforementioned points made him a desired target of assassination for both the US government and the security establishment in Israel.
A visit to Venezuela
There may, however, be additional factors that contributed to the US decision to assassinate Soleimani on 3 January, 2022. While some analysts cite, for instance, the storming of the 2019 US embassy in Baghdad by demonstrators three days before the extrajudicial killing, US decision makers were unlikely to have mobilized its assassins in reaction to this relatively benign incident.
More significant for them would have been Soleimani’s unannounced trip to Venezuela in 2019, which crossed Washington’s red lines within its own geographic sphere of influence.
His visit to the South American country was publicly revealed more than two years later by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, during an interview with Al-Mayadeen in December 2021.
Maduro stated that Soleimani visited Caracas between March and April 2019, during which time the US launched a cyber and sabotage attack on Venezuela, resulting in widespread power outages. He glorified the Iranian general as a military hero who “combated terrorism and the brutal terrorist criminals who attacked the peoples of the Axis of resistance. He was a brave man.”
Although Maduro did not reveal the exact date of the visit, it can be assumed that it took place on 8 April, 2019, and that Soleimani came on board the first direct flight of the Iranian airline Mahan Air between Tehran and Caracas.
At that time, the US attack on Caracas was at its peak: Washington’s recognition of Juan Guaidó as president of Venezuela, comprehensive economic sanctions, and then, at the end of April, the organization of a coup attempt that succeeded only in securing the escape of US-backed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez to the Spanish embassy.
Expanding military ties with Caracas
During Soleimani’s Caracas visit, military cooperation between Iran and Venezuela was likely a key topic of discussion. Prior to his visit, Maduro had announced the establishment of “Popular Defense Units,” or revolutionary militias, to maintain order in the face of US-backed coup attempts.
Both Iranian and Latin American sources confirm that Tehran had a role in organizing these militias. However, the most significant military cooperation between the two countries has been in the field of military industrialization.
Since the tenure of late, former President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela has been working on a project to manufacture drones. This was announced by Chavez on 13 June, 2012, noting that “We are doing this with the help of different countries including China, Russia, Iran, and other allied countries.”
A few months earlier, the commander of the US Army’s Southern Command SOUTHCOM (its assigned area of responsibility includes Central and South America), General Douglas Fries, spoke about the same project, downplaying its importance by claiming that Iran was building drones with “limited capabilities” in Venezuela for internal security purposes.
Developing drones
In fact, Iran, represented by Soleimani’s Quds Force, was busy increasing military cooperation with Venezuela by developing new generations of drones and providing Caracas with spare parts for its existing American-made aircrafts. Interestingly, the raising of the Iranian flag has become routine in the Venezuelan Air Force’s military ceremonies.
On 20 November, 2020, President Maduro delivered a speech announcing plans to produce different types of drones. Near him, on display, was a miniature model of a drone which appeared to be that of the Iranian “Muhajer 6” aircraft that entered service in Iran in 2018.
This issue was raised by then-Israeli Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, while receiving the heads of American Jewish organizations in February 2022.
Soleimani’s legacy in Latin America
These developments were the direct result of Qassem Soleimani’s efforts. A Venezuelan official has confirmed to The Cradle that the country’s drone project was built with full Iranian support: from training engineers to setting up research and manufacturing centers, all the way to production.
In October 2019, the commander of US Southern Command, Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, warned that Russia, China, Iran and Cuba were operating in varying capacities in SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility. He noted, specifically, that Iran’s influence and presence is being felt in South America.
In March 2020, the US SOUTHCOM commander repeated the same warning, placing Iran at the “top of the list of countries” that have assisted Venezuela in skirting US sanctions.
The US has long viewed Latin America as its “backyard” and has sought to prevent the influence of rival or hostile powers in the region through its adherence to the Monroe Doctrine. The influence of Soleimani in the western hemisphere may have been viewed as a threat to US interests and a crossing of this “red line.”
His role in assisting Venezuela in developing military capabilities, including the production of drones, was seen in Washington as a qualitative leap in Iran’s foreign relations and was likely a factor in the decision to assassinate Soleimani.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
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Forty-Nine years have passed since Tishreen Liberation war and men of the Syrian Arab Army, who have defeated the Israeli enemy in 1973, continue victories over the tools of this enemy of terrorist organizations to restore security and stability to the majority of the Syrian territory after being cleared off terrorism thanks to the sacrifices of the army soldiers.
Tishreen liberation war, led by the late leader, Hafez al-Assad, has formed a compass of the struggle to liberate the usurped lands and restore the Arab rights. The liberation war was a clear declaration to start the era of victories and end the time of defeats to be the war of liberation, the first war in the Arab-Zionist conflict which broke the wall of despair after Naksa of June 1967 . Tishreen war has consolidated a fact that Syria is the fortress of the resilience of the Arab nation that defends its existence and future.
The Successive victories against the Zionist enemy since the October war stress that it has formed a solid rock on which the glory of national resistance against Colonial plots was built in the region. This enemy tried to steal the victory of October by occupying South Lebanon, but the Syrian Arab army with the blood of its martyrs and heroisms of 1982, defeated the Zionist enemy, followed by standing beside the patriotism of Lebanese Resistance until liberating most of the territories of southern Lebanon in 2000 and the defeat of the Israeli enemy there.
Heroic battles were carried on by the sons and grandsons of October liberation men in their war against terrorism during which they wrote heroic epics and engraved deeply in the conscience of the Syrians the meanings of pride and dignity, the blood of the martyrs, was the title of liberation from terrorism in Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Ghouta ,Daraa, Hama, Quneitra, the countryside of Homs, Hama, the Syrian desert.
Fedaa al-Rhayiah/ Mazen Eyon
Documents from October 1973
A documentary film entitled “October .. The Epic of Victory”
الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد يجري زيارةً إلى طهران التقى خلالها نظيره الإيراني إبراهيم رئيسي والمرشد الأعلى علي خامنئي.
الرئيس الإيراني ابراهيم رئيسي مع نظيره السوري بشار الأسد، والمرشد الإيراني السيد علي الخامنئي
دعا المرشد الإيراني السيد علي خامنئي، لدى استقباله الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد، اليوم الأحد، إلى “ضرورة التعامل مع سوريا على أنها قوة إقليمية في المنطقة”، مشيراً إلى أنّ “دمشق لم تعد اليوم مثل مرحلة ما قبل الحرب”.
وقال السيد خامنئي، بحسب بيانٍ على موقعه الإلكتروني إنّ “سوريا لم تعد اليوم مثل ما قبل الحرب فمكانتها أصبحت أعلى بكثير من السابق وعلى الجميع أن ينظر إليها اليوم كقوة إقليمية”، مضيفاً أنه “بوجود الروح العالية والتصميم لدى الرئيس والحكومة الإيرانية على توسيع التعاون مع سوريا، يجب بذل الجهود لتحسين العلاقات بين البلدين أكثر من ذي قبل”.
وأشار السيد خامنئي إلى أنّ “بعض قادة دول جوار إيران وسوريا، يجلسون ويقفون مع قادة الكيان الصهيوني ويشربون القهوة سوياً مع بعضهم البعض، ولكن أهالي وشعوب هذه الدول في يوم القدس ملأت الشوارع بالحشود والشعارات المعادية للصهيونية والصهاينة، وهذا هو واقع المنطقة اليوم”.
الرئيس السوري مع السيد علي خامنئي
بدوره، قال الرئيس الإيراني إبراهيم رئيسي خلال استقباله الأسد اليوم إنّ “ما يحدث اليوم في منطقة غرب آسيا هو ما توقعه قائد الثورة الإسلامية قبل فترة بأنّ مقاومة الشعوب أمام المعتدين والمستكبرين ستثمر”، مضيفاً أنّ “جنابكم كوالدكم، تمثّلون وجهاً من وجوه جبهة المقاومة”.
وأوضح رئيسي أنّ “مجاهدي المقاومة أثبتوا أنهم قوة يمكن الاعتماد عليها لإحلال الأمن والاستقرار في المنطقة ولا سيما في سوريا”، لافتاً إلى أنه “عندما كان بعض الزعماء في العالم العربي وخارجه يراهنون على انهيار النظام السوري، اصطفت إيران إلى جانب سوريا حكومةً وشعباً ووقفت معها”.
وشدد الرئيس الإيراني على ضرورة “تحرير كل الأراضي السورية من دنس المحتلين والعملاء الأجانب ويجب طردهم”، مضيفاً أنه يجب تنويع “معادلات ردع إسرائيل” في المنطقة.
وأشار رئيسي إلى أنّ “ما يحسم مصير المنطقة ليس طاولة المفاوضات وإنما مقاومة الشعوب التي تحدد النظام الإقليمي الجديد”.
الأسد: إيران كانت البلد الوحيد الذي وقف إلى جانبنا منذ بداية العدوان
من جهته، أكد الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد أنّ “البعض يعتقد أنّ دعم إيران لجبهة المقاومة هو دعم بالسلاح فقط، ولكن أهم دعم ومساعدة للجمهورية الإسلامية هو بث روح المقاومة واستمرارها”، مشيراً إلى أنّ “ما جعل الكيان الصهيوني غير قادر على حكم المنطقة هو العلاقة الاستراتيجية بين إيران وسوريا التي يجب أن تستمرّ بقوة”.
وتابع الأسد أنّ “أنقاض الحرب يمكن إعادة بنائها، لكن إذا دمرت الأسس والمبادئ فلا يمكن إعادة بنائها”، لافتاً إلى أنّ بلاده “مستعدة لتعزيز التعاون والتنسيق مع إيران على الصعد الأمنية والسياسية والاقتصادية”.
وشدد الرئيس السوري على أنّ “دور إيران مهم في مكافحة الإرهاب وإيران كانت البلد الوحيد الذي وقف إلى جانبنا منذ بداية مواجهة العدوان الغربي التكفيري”، مضيفاً أنّ “علاقتنا مع إيران استراتيجية والصمود أثبت أنه مؤثر”.
وأردف الأسد: “نشهد انهياراً للدور الأميركي في المنطقة وقد أثبتنا أننا قادرون على الانتصار أمام أميركا والقوى المهيمنة من خلال التعاون الوثيق بين دول المنطقة”، مشيراً إلى أنّ “نجاح المقاومة الفلسطينية أثبت أنّ تطبيع بعض العرب مع إسرائيل له نتائج عكسية”.
وأكد الرئيس السوري أنّ “ما يمنع الكيان الصهيوني من السيطرة على المنطقة هو العلاقات الاستراتيجية الإيرانية السورية”.
حضور وزيري الخارجية وعدد من المسؤولين ولاسيما العميد اسماعيل قاآني قائد قوة القدس
الرئاسة السورية
هذا وأكدت الرئاسة السورية أنّ “لقاءات الرئيس الأسد في إيران تناولت العلاقات التاريخية القائمة على مسار طويل من التعاون الثنائي”، مضيفةً أنّ “الرئيس الأسد أكد خلال لقاء السيد خامنئي أنّ مجريات الأحداث أثبتت مجدداً صوابية النهج الذي سار عليه البلدان”.
وتابعت أنّ “الأسد أكد أهمية استمرار التعاون لمنع أميركا من إعادة بناء منظومة الإرهاب التي استخدمتها للإضرار بالمنطقة”، مشيرةً إلى أنّ “الرئيس الأسد أكد خلال لقائه السيد خامنئي أنّ القضية الفلسطينية اليوم تعيد فرض حضورها وأهميتها أكثر فأكثر”.
وأردفت الرئاسة السورية أنّ السيد خامنئي “أكد استمرار إيران في دعمها لسوريا لاستكمال انتصارها على الإرهاب وتحرير باقي أراضيها”، لافتةً إلى أنّ “الرئيس الإيراني أكد للرئيس الأسد أنّ لدى إيران الإرادة الجادّة في توسيع العلاقات بين البلدين”.
الرئيس الأسد يجري زيارة عمل إلى العاصمة الإيرانية طهران التقى خلالها آية الله السيد علي الخامنئي قائد الثورة الإسلامية في إيران، وإبراهيم رئيسي رئيس الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية. pic.twitter.com/aMQahfNOXE
يعترف الأميركيون بصحة ما قاله وزير الخارجية الروسي سيرغي لافروف، بأنهم يواجهون حرباً باردة جديدة مع صعود روسي لم يعد موضوعاً للنقاش والتأويل، لكنهم يحاولون زرع العقبات في طريقه، في لحظة دولية وأميركية شديدة الصعوبة، ومصاعبها آخذة في التزايد. فمن جهة هم أمام روسيا الواقعية التي تعرف جيداً أين تختار ساحات النزال، دون مبالغة بالقدرات، وقد رسمت حدود أمنها القومي بين أفغانستان وقزوين وسورية والبلطيق، وقررت ان تذود عنه، وامتلكت ما يكفي لفرض الوقائع بالتراكم البطيء والقرارات الجريئة. وقد اختبرت واشنطن في عهدي رئيسين سابقين هما الرئيس دونالد ترامب الجمهوري المتطرّف، والرئيس باراك أوباما الديمقراطي الدبلوماسي الذي كان الرئيس الحالي جو بايدن نائباً له وشريكاً في السياسات الخارجية من موقعه الآتي من رئاسة لجنة الشؤون الخارجية في الكونغرس الأميركي لعقود عديدة. وكانت النتيجة برغم الجدية الأميركية في استخدام كل الأدوات والإمكانات، عسكرياً وأمنياً وسياسياً واقتصادياً ومالياً، الفشل الذريع، فثبتت روسيا وجودها وحضورها وثباتها في سورية، رغم حجم وموقع مكانة الحرب على سورية في سياسات إدارتي أوباما وترامب، وكانت حاضرة في قرار بايدن للانسحاب من أفغانستان، وخاضت مخاطرة رشيقة وفاعلة انتهت بنجاح في كازاخستان. وقبل كل ذلك فاجأت عام 2014 بكيفية تعاملها مع ملف أوكرانيا الساخن مجدداً، عندما ضمّت شبه جزيرة القرم وبات الأمر اليوم خارج النقاش.
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الممانعة الأميركية للصعود الرئيس ناجمة عن عدة أسباب غير السبب المبدئي للتوسّع والهيمنة والدفاع عن المكانة، والأسباب الجديدة عامل إضافي للحاجة الى الممانعة بل سبب لجعلها حتميّة، فالإدارة الحالية تواجه وضعاً داخلياً شديد التعقيد أمام تراجع اقتصادي وتفكك اجتماعي وانقسام سياسي، وأمام حلفاء قلقين يعيشون هاجس الضعف والتراجع الأميركيين، ويشعرون بعدم الثقة بالقدرة على السير تحت القيادة الأميركية. وبالمقابل تواجه هذه الإدارة مشهداً دولياً في ساحات متعددة يجعل الممانعة الأميركية للصعود الروسي ضرورة لتأخير إعلان الهزيمة الأميركية بوجه القوى الصاعدة، من الصين الى إيران، وضرورة للحفاظ على وضعيّة حلفاء رئيسيين لها يترنّحون تحت وطأة ضربات خصوم حكوميين وغير حكوميين، كحال دول الخليج و”إسرائيل”. وفي ظل بدء حلفاء كثر بالتموضع نحو تحالف موسكو وبكين وطهران، تجد واشنطن أنها محكومة بالتحرك، لأنه من دون وضع حد للتراجع ولو بصورة مؤقتة سيكون الانهيار دراماتيكياً، وستواجه الإدارة الأميركية تسارعا في الانهيارات الداخلية والإقليمية، أو تجد نفسها منخرطة بورطة عسكرية في زمن السعي للملمة بقايا التدخلات الفاشلة بهدوء، بعد الانسحاب العاصف من أفغانستان، وقد وجدت في أوكرانيا الساحة الأنسب لفعل ذلك، حيث أفضل عناصر الاشتباك. فهناك دولة من بقايا الاتحاد السوفياتي السابق تحكمها نخبة ليبرالية تتطلع للانضمام لحلف الناتو، وهذه الدولة على حدود الأمن الأوروبي، وتثير المواجهة مع روسيا حولها كل عناصر الهواجس الأوروبية، وتتيح إعادة حشد الموقف الأوروبي الذي أصابه الإحباط بعد الانسحاب من أفغانستان، وتفتح الباب لوضع قواعد اشتباك لوضع حد للإندفاعة الروسية التي قدمت عرضاً مبهراً بتدخل سريع وفاعل في كازاخستان.
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تحاول واشنطن خوض المواجهة على حافة الهاوية، بالتلويح بالاستعداد للذهاب الى المواجهة، غير العسكرية طبعاً، ملوحة بالعقوبات القاسية، والقطيعة الكاملة، ووقف العمل بالتفاهمات النووية وغير النووية، لكنها تتجاهل ثلاث حقائق: الأولى أن روسيا مستعدة للذهاب أبعد منها، وهي متحرّرة من الكثير من القيود التي تكبل الحركة الأميركية، وهي تملك تحالفات أوكرانية تتيح خوض المواجهة من وراء ستار محلي معترف بخصوصيته، وفقاً لمسار النورماندي واتفاقات مينسك، التي تتخذها موسكو إطاراً للمعركة حول أوكرانيا. والثانية ان المواجهة تدور على الحدود الروسية، وليس على حدود أميركا، وأن روسيا لا تملك ترف التراجع، وهي لم تفعل ذلك في سورية، البعيدة آلاف الكيلومترات عن الحدود الروسية. والثالثة أن الأدوات التي تهدد بها واشنطن لفرض تعديل الموقف الروسي ثبتت عدم فاعليتها وجهوزية موسكو لتحمل تبعاتها، وهي تستثمر على كل هذه الحقائق في توقيت جديد أفضل بالنسبة لها، سواء لجهة أن المرحلة الجديدة هي مرحلة التحالف الاستراتيجي الروسي الصيني الإيراني بكل مفاعيله الاستراتيجية والمالية والاقتصادية والعسكرية، أو لجهة أن المرحلة عنوانها التراجع الأميركي منذ الانسحاب من أفغانستان.
لا يستطيع أي مراقب للمشهد الدولي والإقليمي أن يتجاهل الاتجاه الثابت لتطورات العقدين الماضيين، بتكريس فشل كل الحروب الأميركية والإسرائيلية، وما يشير إليه ذلك من مسار واضح لما سيحمله قادم الأيام في القرن الواحد والعشرين، لكن ما لا يجب أن يفوت كل متابع هو أن الحكومات والقوى المناوئة للهيمنة الأميركية والعدوانية الإسرائيلية، تدخل العقد الثالث بروحية مختلفة، فيها من الجسارة والتشبت بصناعة انتصاراتها، ما يزيح نموذجاً كان يقوم على حفظ ماء الوجه للأميركي بخروج موارب من المواجهات، ليس فيه نصر بائن ولا هزيمة بائنة، وينزاح معه أيضاً حرص رافق مواجهات العقدين الماضيين على تحييد جماعات وحكومات تدور في الفلك الأميركي، وتقدم خدمات للاحتلال، وتنسق معه فوق وتحت الطاولة، خصوصاً ذلك الحرص الذي طبع العقدين الماضيين على تحييد دول الخليج وفي مقدمتها السعودية، ومساعدتها في كل مرة تذهب للتموضع الصريح في الحروب الأميركية، لتنزل عن الشجرة بأقل إحراج وخسارة ممكنتين، ويتمثل التحول النوعي الذي تشهده المواجهة في مطلع العقد الثالث بهزائم مدوية يتلقاها الأميركي من دون أي مساعدة يلقاها من خصومه لحفظ ماء الوجه، له أو لكيان الاحتلال، أو لنماذج حلفاء تتقدمهم السعودية، ويكفي للتحقق من ذلك، النظر للانسحاب الأميركي من أفغانستان، ولمعركة سيف القدس، ولما يجري اليوم في اليمن، وما جرى في الانتخابات في فنزويلا، وما تقدمه إيران من وقائع في المواجهات شبه اليومية في مياه الخليج، وفي طريقة إدارتها لمستقبل ملفها النووي، حيث المعادلة واضحة، عودوا عن العقوبات إذا أردتم منا العودة لالتزاماتنا، وإلا فنحن ماضون في تصعيد برنامجنا وافعلوا ما تريدون فنحن لا نقيم حساباً لتهديداتكم.
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في مقاربة مثل هذه السياقات التاريخية النادرة الحدوث والمحدودة التكرار، يميل الباحثون إلى الاهتمام بالأكبر فالأصغر، بالدولي فالإقليمي فالمحلي، وفي الإجابة عن سؤال، إلى أين تتجه الأمور، نحو المواجهة أم التسويات، تقول كل الملفات الموجودة على الطاولة، أن قابلية التسوية تتفوق في ماهية كل ملف على حدة، والتسوية على قاعدة التسليم الأميركي بالفشل، لو كان محرجاً وقاسياً، كما كانت الحال مع الانسحاب من أفغانستان، ومن يعود لتقرير بايكر هاملتون سيجد أنه منذ عام 2006 بدأ النقاش على أعلى المستويات الأميركية بحتمية التموضع على قاعدة مثل هذا التسليم، التسليم بشراكة ندية مع روسيا، وبدور إقليمي فاعل لإيران ومكانتها النووية وشراكتها الحتمية في استقرار أفغانستان والعراق وأمن الخليج والطاقة، والتسليم بدور سورية، وصولاً للتسليم بأنه من دون التسليم بالحاجة لحل القضية الفلسطينية يضمن حق العودة للاجئين وقيام دولة فلسطينية عاصمتها القدس الشرقية، فكل شيء سيكون عرضة للانهيار، وبالمقابل تظهر كل ملفات النزاع الراهنة، أن عقدة صياغة التسويات حولها ليس نابعاً من عدم القابلية الأميركية لتحمل الهزيمة، بل عدم قدرتها على قبول تسوية لا تضمن أمن إسرائيل أو تعرض هذا الأمن للخطر، وسواء أخذنا روحية بايكر هاملتون أو الواقع الراهن، فهذا سيعيدنا سواء بالتقرب من الأعلى فالأدنى أو من الدولي إلى الإقليمي فالمحلي، أو إذا سرنا بالعكس، إلى أن العقدة في كل الأحوال هي في المواجهة المفتوحة بين كيان الاحتلال وحركة الشعب الفلسطيني.
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الأمر لا علاقة له هنا بالحديث عن موقع القضية الفلسطينية الوجداني والأخلاقي، بل عن موقعها السياسي كمحرك ومعطل للسياسات، وفي قلب هذه اللحظة التي تبدو صراعات كبرى، كمستقبل الوجود الأميركي في العراق وسورية، والملف النووي الإيراني، والحرب في اليمن، وقد تجمد التفاوض حولها أو يبدو مرتبكاً، بفعل المترتبات التي تنجم عن كل خطوة نحو المواجهة أو نحو التسوية، على أمن إسرائيل، أي مستقبل القضية الفلسطينية، يقرر الفلسطينيون، بكل ما يعنيه الوصف الجمعي لكلمة فلسطينيون، الدخول على الخط كصانع أول للسياسة، بعدما اكتشتفوا أنهم للمرة الأولى أن الصراع الأهم حول فلسطين يخاض على أرضها وبناسها، وأن ناسها باتوا يمتكلون ما يكفي لرسم إيقاع الصراع وعزف لحنه التاريخي، كما قالت لهم تجربة المواجهة الكبرى في سيف القدس، فينتقلون من التربص التاريخي باللحظة إلى الإمساك بها، فتصعد ديناميكية صناعتهم للأحداث ويتزاحم إيقاع حضورهم، ويخرج شيبهم وشبابهم، المعلمون والتلامذة، المقاتلون والقادة، ويتصدرون ساحات النزال، ويكفي لفهم حقيقة ما يجري، التوقف أمام معنى التتابع المتصاعد للأحداث التي لم تتوقف منذ معركة سيف القدس، وفي الساحات الأهم، كالقدس والأراضي المحتلة عام 48 وسجون الاحتلال، والتوقف أمام التعاقب المذهل خلال أربعة وعشرين ساعة بين نموذجي عمر أبو عصب ابن الستة عشر ربيعاً، والشيخ فادي أبو شخيدم الأستاذ ذي الاثنين وأربعين عاماً، لفهم معنى الإمساك الفلسطيني باللحظة التاريخية، ودعوة المنطقة للرقص على إيقاع موسيقى فلسطين.
In an interview with France 24, the US former ambassador to Syria Robert Ford admits Bashar al-Assad’s victory, among other things.
Former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford
In an exclusive interview with France 24, former US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said that the “US policy has failed to establish a Syrian government through negotiations,” in addition to failing to unite the Syrian “opposition” groups.
Ford also mentioned that there are many divisions between the “opposition” groups, which were present since the beginning, contributing to the US’ failure in achieving its interests.
He noted that “As the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is present, and controls 70% of the Syrian territory, including major cities, the armed opposition is unable to remove him,” stressing that “despite the destruction of the Syrian economy, in the end, Assad won the war.”
Ford also acknowledged that “the United States bears responsibility for what happened in Syria,” admitting “we armed [“opposition”] groups open to finding solutions through negotiations.”
On Arab coexistence
Ford said that Arab countries such as the UAE, Egypt and Jordan have recognized the authority of the Syrian government, acknowledging that it is ‘here to stay’ and that Arab countries will have to find a way to coexist with it.
While he revealed that no US politician encourages restoring diplomatic relations with Damascus, he considered that the US’ circumstances are different when it comes to Syria’s Arab neighbors.
However, this does not mean that Washington is happy with the Arab efforts to coexist with Damascus,” also saying that the US is unable to offer an alternative to these offers.
The reconciliation efforts, according to Ford, could be seen in examples like UAE Foreign Minister Abdallah bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s recent visit to Damascus. The UAE foreign minister, last March, said that “Syria’s return to its Arab surroundings is inevitable, and it is in the interest of Syria and the region.”
When it came to whether Arab countries would be sanctioned for restoring relations with Damascus, Ford ruled out the possibility, saying that Biden’s efforts are currently focused on Asia.
قال السفير الأميركي السابق في سورية روبرت فورد إنّ «السياسة الأميركية فشلت في إنشاء حكومة سورية عن طريق المفاوضات».
وأضاف فورد في حديث خاص لوكالة «فرانس 24» أنّ «هناك انقسامات عديدة داخل صفوف المعارضة السورية، منذ البداية، والسياسة الأميركية فشلت في توحيد الصف بين مجموعات المعارضة».
وإذ أشار إلى أنّ «حكومة الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد موجودة، وتسيطر على 70% من الأراضي السورية، وبينها المدن الكبرى المعارضة المسلحة غير قادرة عل تنحية الأسد»، أكّد أنه «على الرغم من تدمير الاقتصاد السوري، ولكنه في نهاية المطاف الأسد فاز في الحرب».
وتابع: «أعتقد أن الدول العربية، وليس الإمارات فقط، بل مصر والأردن، اعترفت بأنّ الحكومة السورية باقية وتستمر بالسلطة».
وأقرّ السفير الأميركي السابق لدى سورية بأنّ «الحكومة السورية باقية، وعلى الدول العربية إيجاد طريقة التعايش معها».
وفي حين كشف أنه «لا يوجد أي سياسي أميركي يؤيد فكرة إعادة العلاقات الدبلوماسية مع دمشق»، اعتبر فورد أنّ «الولايات المتحدة لها ظروف تختلف مع البلدان العربية جيران سورية».
كما اعترف أنّ «واشنطن فهمت أن من الصعب عليها أن تمانع جهوداً عربية لإيجاد طريقة تعايش مع الحكومة السورية المستمرة في السلطة في دمشق، وهذا لا يعني أنّ واشنطن فرحة بالجهود العربية للتعايش مع دمشق»، مؤكداً أنّ «واشنطن غير قادرة على عرض بديل للاستراتيجية العربية التي رأيناها مع وزير الخارجية الإماراتي عبد الله بن زايد آل نهيان».
واستبعد فورد فرض عقوبات على الأنظمة العربية التي تعيد علاقاتها مع دمشق، مشيراً إلى أنّ «إدارة الرئيس بايدن تركز على ملف آسيا حالياً».
وفي الختام، أقرّ السفير الأميركي السابق لدى سوريا أيضاً أنّ «الولايات المتحدة تتحمل مسؤولية في ما جرى في سورية»، وقال: «أرسلنا السلاح إلى المجموعات المنفتحة حول فكرة إيجاد حل تفاوضي»، في إشارة إلى المعارضة، التي كان قد أكّد لها في العام 2019 أن «لا تنتظر شيئاً من واشنطن».
على رغم الإعلانات الأميركية المتكررة عند كل تقارب عربي مع سورية، عن عدم الموافقة على هذا التقارب قبل أن “يغير النظام سلوكه ويتقدم على طريق الحل السياسي” إلى نهاية المعزوفة، يصعب الاقتناع بأن هذا الموقف الأميركي هو أكثر من مجرد معزوفة تقليدية تحاكي الذين يعارضون هذا الانفتاح من بين حلفائها، فواشنطن ليست محللاً سياسياً لتعبر عن موقفها ببيان يتم التمرد على مضمونه من أقرب المقربين إليها، لو كان الأمر يعتبر عندها من الأساسيات، فتضع واشنطن الضوء الأصفر لعودة العلاقات مع سورية بين حلفائها، وتترك لهم أن يقرأوه بحسب رغباتهم ومصالحهم، فالراغب بالعلاقة يراه أخضر، والساعي للقطيعة يعتبره أحمر.
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الضوء الأصفر يأتي بعد ضوء أحمر مشدد، وحرب ضروس، فهو إذن طريق التراجع المنظم، لضمان أقل الخسائر، وما بعد الانسحاب من أفغانستان لم يعد هناك سبب استراتيجي للبقاء الأميركي في سورية، ولا للعداء مع سورية، فمشروع إسقاط سورية قد سقط، ومشروع تقسيمها يسقط، ومشروع تقاسمها مردود لأصحابه، البقاء في سورية والخصومة معها سقفهما نضوج أوضاع حلفاء لواشنطن سيدفعون ثمن الانسحاب وإنهاء الخصومة، وفي طليعتهم “إسرائيل” التي تستشعر تنامي محور المقاومة وتخشى معادلاته الجديدة بعد الانسحاب، والجماعات الكردية المسلحة التي أقامت كانتوناً في ظلال الوجود الأميركي، والرئيس التركي الذي يخشى تسارع خلط أوراق يهدد ما يعتبره أوراقاً هامة يمسك بها لضمان حضور سياسي وأمني في معادلة سورية المقبلة.
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الضوء الأصفر الأميركي هو تعبير عن السياق التراجعي بعد قرار أميركي بالحرب على سورية، والسياق التراجعي ينسجم مع محاولة تهيئة الظروف لولادة نظام إقليمي يملأ الفراغ بعد الانسحاب الأميركي الذي بات حتمياً في ضوء المسار الاستراتيجي الذي بدأ من أفغانستان، فالضوء الأصفر يفتح الباب موارباً لكل اللاعبين الإقليميين من حلفاء واشنطن الذين لا تعقيدات تحول دون انفتاحهم على سورية، وهم يرون انتصارها، ويرون كل من زاوية، إما الحاجة لتوازن بوجه تركيا كحال مصر، أو بوجه إيران كحال دول الخليج، أو بوجه إسرائيل كحال الجزائر، لا يتحقق من دون سورية، وكما لا يخفي المصريون أن لا تهديد للأمن القومي العربي بحجم التهديد التركي، لا يخفون أن لا مواجهة لهذا التهديد من دون سورية، ومثلهم يفعل الخليجيون في الحديث عن إيران، ويرون أن الانفتاح على سورية يحقق التوازن مع إيران بداية في سورية، ثم ينشط دور سورية لإقامة التوازن في كل من العراق ولبنان، ليفتح الطريق لاحقاً لدور سوري في الحوار الخليجي- الإيراني، حيث وحدها سورية تستطيع أن “تمون” على طلبات من إيران لن تأخذ منها بغير “المونة”، وحيث وحدها سورية “تمون على حزب الله” وتستطيع أن تحصل منه على طلبات لا تؤخذ منه إلا بـ “المونة”، أما الذين يؤمنون بأن الخطر الإسرائيلي لا يزال هو الخطر الأول على دول وشعوب المنطقة كما تؤمن الجزائر ومعها شارع عربي كبير، فسورية هي حجر الرحى بين الدول العربية في إنشاء التوازن الاستراتيجي بوجه التغول الإسرائيلي السياسي على رغم التراجع العسكري، كما يقول التمدد الإسرائيلي في أفريقيا.
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تأتي القمة العربية المقبلة في الجزائر في الربيع المقبل، موعداً مناسباً لتقدم مسارات الانفتاح على سورية، وصولاً لتتويجها بحضور الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد قمة الجزائر، لتشكل القمة مدخلاً لإحياء المؤسسة العربية الرسمية التي تعطلت منذ الحرب على سورية، وتموضع أغلب النظام العربي على جبهاتها، فيعيد الحضور السوري بعض الحياة لنظام عربي ميت، ليشكل هذا النظام بثلاثيته في النظر لمخاطر الأمن القومي نحو تركيا وإيران و”إسرائيل”، أحد أركان نظام إقليمي جديد تقول المصلحة العربية إنه يقوم على تعاون مع إيران، وإدارة نظام مصالح مع تركيا، والتحصن بوجه الخطر الإسرائيلي، ويسعى بعض العرب لجعله نظام تعاون مع “إسرائيل” وإدارة مصالح مع تركيا، وعداء لإيران، ويسعى آخرون لجعله نظام تعاون مع تركيا وإدارة مصالح مع كل من إيران و”إسرائيل”، وتشكل سورية بيضة القبان في ترجيح الخيارات، وهذا مصدر الحاجة إليها والخوف من حضورها في الآن نفسه.
أن يقال إن سورية ككيان سياسي يحمل ثقل أوزان المكانة التاريخية والمكان الجغرافي، بيضة قبان توازنات المنطقة، فتلك حقيقة تؤكدها الأحداث الكبرى التي عرفها العالم على الصعيد الحضاري والثقافي والسياسي والاجتماعي والفني والديني خلال أكثر من ألفي سنة، فهي سورية التي منحت الإسلام دولته الأولى التي انطلق إلى العالم منها، وهي سورية التي منحت المسيحية كنيستها الأولى التي انطلق منها تلامذة السيد المسيح إلى الغرب والشرق، وهي سورية أبجدية أوغاريت، وزنوبيا ملكة تدمر، ووجهة الغزوات من المغول إلى الفرنجة، وسورية الشريك الحتمي بتحرير القدس من معركة حطين، والشريك بذات المقدار في حرب تشرين قبل نصف قرن، وهي سورية التي شكلت وجهة الحرب الكونية الهادفة لتغيير العالم من خلال تغييرها، بقطع طريق المتوسط على عمالقة آسيا، روسيا والصين وإيران، وهي سورية التي تخرج منتصرة من هذه الحرب لتعلن تغيير العالم بصورة معكوسة، كما انتجت شرق أوسط جديداً من رحم إسقاط مشروع إنشاء مشروع شرق أوسط جديد آخر.
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الحديث اليوم هو عن سورية الخارجة من الحرب بخط سياسي حوربت ليفرض عليها تغييره، هو الخط الذي مثله الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد، وهو خط يقوم على التمسك باستقلال سورية ووحدتها وتمسكها باستعادة جولانها المحتل حتى خط الرابع من حزيران، ودعمها لقوى المقاومة في لبنان وفلسطين والعراق، ورفضها لكل الصيغ الطائفية والعرقية التي تصيب وحدة المجتمع والدولة، وهي سورية التي انتصرت، ومن قبيل التوصيف السياسي الدقيق، هي سورية الأسد، التي كان مطلوباً تفكيكها وإسقاطها لصالح سورية أخرى، سواء سورية التطبيع مع كيان الاحتلال كما صرح عدد من قادة جماعات الحرب، أو سورية المقسمة إلى كيانات طائفية ومذهبية وعرقية، كما جاهر دعاة إعلان الإمارات الطائفية والإدارات الذاتية العرقية، أو سورية المتقاسمة تحت أشكال من الانتداب الأجنبي أو الرعاية الأجنبية كما تضمنت العروض الأميركية والتركية على كل من روسيا وإيران، وما نحن بصدده اليوم، هو أن سورية الأسد تنتصر وتنتقل بنصرها إلى إثبات أنها تستعيد لسورية التاريخ والجغرافيا مكانتها كبيضة قبان توازنات المنطقة، بعدما قيل الكثير عن أن بمستطاع سورية الأسد أن تنتصر لكنها لن تستعيد لسورية مكانتها، لأن استعادة هذه المكانة مشروط باعتراف الآخرين بها وبنصرها من دون أن تغير سياستها، بصفتها سورية الأسد، بثوابتها ومواقفها المعروفة.
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أهمية زيارة وزير خارجية الإمارات لدمشق وما تضمنته من إعلان نوايا واضح لترتيب العلاقات، أنها تفتح الطريق لمسار يشمل حلفاء الإمارات العرب وفي الغرب، وهم الحلفاء الذين قادوا وخاضوا الحرب على سورية بكل وحشيتها وعنفها والخراب الذي تسببت به، ويتم ذلك تحت عنوان التسليم بأنها سورية الأسد، أي سورية بثوابتها ومواقفها التي خيضت الحرب عليها لتغييرها، وتسليم دولة الإمارات التي كانت في طليعة حلفاء واشنطن ولا تزال، وطليعة خط التطبيع مع كيان الاحتلال، هو أعلى مراتب التسليم، لأن سورية التي ترحب بكل اعتراف دولي وإقليمي بنصرها بما في ذلك الاعتراف الأميركي عندما تنضج واشنطن لفعل شبيه بما فعلته الإمارات، أي العودة العلنية من باب الدبلوماسية الذي تشترطه سورية لكل علاقة، هي سورية التي تعرف أن العودة والتسليم لا يعنيان تفاهماً على السياسات، فالدول التي تتبادل السفراء والاعتراف والزيارات والاتفاقات، لا تتطابق في السياسات، لكنها تنطلق من الاعتراف بحتمية التساكن مع الخلافات وتنظيم إدارتها من دون أوهام القدرة على فرض التغيير بالقوة أو بالقطيعة أو الضغوط، وسورية لا تطلب من الآخرين أكثر من ذلك، وسورية لا تخفي أن في طليعة ما لن يتغير فيها موقفها من التطبيع ومن موقع الجولان في ثوابتها، ومكانة فلسطين كبوصلة لسياساتها.
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مزيد من الخطوات المقبلة ستشهدها علاقات العرب والغرب بسورية، وربما بينها زيارات رئاسية سورية إلى الخارج أو زيارات رئاسية خارجية إلى سورية، وصولاً للقمة العربية في الجزائر التي يفترض أن تشهد أول حضور سوري رسمي في الجامعة العربية، التي شكلت أداة من أدوات الحرب على سورية، ومع كل خطوة سيتأكد سوء طالع الذين راهنوا على إسقاط سورية، وخصوصاً الذين تطرفوا في العداء تبييضاً لوجوههم عند الذين خاضوا الحرب عليها، وهم يجدون من خاضوا الحرب يتراجعون ويرجعون إليها، ولم يبق للمبيضين إلا سواد الوجوه.
Assad is back, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad returns to the world stage in defeat for US, win for its foes, is the title of Newsweek’s latest front-page post on Syria and the US’s 10.5 years of war of terror and war of attrition against the Syrian people.
Let’s not discuss the mainstream media article, to be honest, I didn’t even bother to read it, if it’s positive it means they came to their senses, highly unlikely, if it’s not it means they’re still in their same propaganda, highly likely, so let’s talk about why Assad is back and why the US and its cronies lost in Syria, aside from them telling their followers for more than a decade it was the Syrian people vs. Assad and not the US vs. Assad.
Yes, President Assad is back and you all failed, the more than 100 countries that combined their evil efforts to topple him and hand Syria over to Al Qaeda and other anti-Islamic Muslim Brotherhood radicals the likes of the Turkish madman Erdogan who serves Israel.
He’s back because the Syrians weren’t fooled with your plot and lies, they fought back for more than 10.5 years to defend their country at a very hefty price but they didn’t surrender and they’ll fight back for another decade if needed, except this time not anymore on their land only.
Assad is back because he stood up, stood tall, and earned his people’s respect and the respect of the free people in the world, not the Sheeple of the west who think they’re free just because they can talk bad about their politicians who continue to suck their lives dry.
He’s back because the Syrian people never believed the mainstream media lies; only fools and Sheeple would believe again those who lied before several times to justify the Pentagon wars, only fools would believe that over 350,000 Al Qaeda terrorists armed by the USA and its cronies, financed by all of NATO taxpayers’ money, and the Gulfies, are in Syria to protect the Syrian families from their own brothers, sons, fathers, and sisters of the Syrian Arab Army, only fools would believe that the Syrian Arab Army would drop chemical weapons and bombs on their own family members to protect the president while Al Qaeda with all its derivatives are sent to Syria to protect those families, I’m not sure what drugs those Sheeple of the west are on, what I’m certain of it’s whoever their dealers are they didn’t cheat them and provided them with some real mind-absenting stuff.
President Assad was offered tens of billions of dollars just to retire in a place of his choice, he was offered to rule the region unchallenged just to accept the US policies, which is against the interests of his own people, then they went to threaten him and his family, they managed to kill his brother-in-law and his top aides and some of Syria’s top officials including the Syrian defense minister, he didn’t flee, he kept showing up in his office, on the frontlines, and among his people, driving alone, yes, something none of those NATO leaders dares to do in their ‘democratic’ societies, and above all, while they were plotting Syria’s destruction he was planning for victory, and victory he achieved.
Yes, Assad is back and you have to deal with it.
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The Syrian foreign minister’s aide, Dr. Ayman Sousan, stressed that Syria is so close to the ultimate victory over the terrorist war, hailing the steadfastness and sacrifices of the Syrian people as well as army.
In an interview with Al-Manar Website, Sousan pointed out that the Syrian army field progress and achievements in addition to the geopolitical conditions in the Middle East indicate that Syria’s victory is imminent.
Sousan hailed the allies who supported the Syrian army in its battles against the terrorist groups, highlighting the role of Hezbollah, Iran and Syria in this regard.
Meanwhile, Sousan welcomed the Iranian-Saudi talks, underscoring their strategic importance in the region.
Sousan emphasized that Syria’s membership in the Arab League was illegitimately suspended, adding that Syria may never alter its identity.
Finally,Sousan noted that Syria wants to restore its good relations with the Arab countries, stressing that ties with Turkey can never be restored before it withdraws its troops from all the Syrian territories.
Esteban CarrilloForeign and Expatriates Minister Faysal Mikdad confirmed a ‘change’ in the international political environment towards Syria in comments to Syrian media on 30 September.
Mikdad’s comments come amidst an opening of reconciliation between West, Gulf states and Syria
In comments to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Mikdad said that “the change has reflected the achievements of the Syrian Arab Army, in cooperation with allies and friends, on the ground in the war against terrorism.”
On 20 September, Mikdad led a Syrian delegation to a UN meeting in New York, where he also met with Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Felix Plasencia Gonzalez, on strengthening bilateral ties between Syria and Venezuela.
Regarding the General Assembly meetings, Mikdad said that while some countries, referring to the United States, continue to practice ‘economic terrorism,’ there was nonetheless a clear ‘retreat’ of the ‘hostile stance’ on Syria.
The Foreign Minister, appointed by Bashar al-Assad in November 2020, added that while Syria welcomes the “openness to the return of normal relations” with the UN and Western nations, he made clear that Syria “will not submit to pressures nor accept any political conditions.”
He also expressed optimism and the prospect of improved relations and cooperation with Syria and its Arab neighbors, following talks held between Syria and Egypt at the New York General Assembly.
In recent years, a number of Arab states, many of whom stood against Syria during the US and Gulf backed war, have sought rapproachment with Damascus.
With the UAE currently leading reconciliation efforts between Gulf Arab states and their allies, even Saudi Arabia reopened secret lines of communication between itself and Damascus, hoping to rectify ties.
Meanwhile, a number of developments between Jordan and Syria have advanced the increased diplomacy and economic cooperation between the two.
Jordan announced on 27 September that the Jaber–Nassib border crossing between itself and Syria will be reopened two days from the date for both freight and travelers.
On 29 September, this main border crossing was opened as planned, and direct flights to Damascus resumed.
Lebanon’s General Security Chief Abbas Ibrahim toldThe Cradle last week that he ‘totally’ is in favor of ‘open borders with Syria.
Damascus – The Head of Hezbollah’s Arab and International Relations Unit, Sayyed Ammar al-Moussawi, said that a victorious Syria gives strength to the Arab and Islamic worlds, and that its great position in the July 2006 war made it the main partner of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon in all its victories.
This comes as a delegation from the Arab Islamic National Conference is visiting Damascus to meet with President Bashar Al-Assad and the Palestinian resistance factions.
Al-Moussawi explained that the purpose of the visit was for the delegation to congratulate Al-Assad on his re-election as leader of Syria and to congratulate the Syrian people for their “clear” victory in the uprising of consciousness, which they expressed so clearly at the ballot boxes.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Ahed News, the head of Arab and International Relations in Hezbollah pointed out that the popular turnout in the Syrian presidential elections at home was not strange because internal sentiments are known.
“Those who remained in Syria sided with the state, but the influential phenomenon was the Syrians abroad. This is an important and influential indicator, which is the culmination of all victories, including the military victory. It indicates that the Syrians are returning to build their state, which will be better, more beautiful, and stronger than before,” he confirmed.
Al-Moussawi pointed out that Syria has always been an incubator for resistance movements, “and Hezbollah considers it a partner in the victory that was achieved by the men of the Islamic Resistance in the July war and the rest of the victories such as the Resistance and Liberation Day in May 2000.”
Prior to the anniversary of the July 2006 war and the victory of the resistance, al-Moussawi recalled the role of Syria in supplying the resistance with various types of weapons, especially the Kornet missiles, which contributed to disabling the “Israeli” Merkava tanks in a way that was unseen in previous Arab-“Israeli” wars.
He also recalled how Syria embraced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people who were displaced by the Zionist aggression machine in Lebanon in July 2006.
Al-Moussawi stressed that Syria was an incubator of Arab nationalism and all the issues of the nation, and that it will undoubtedly return to be a key link in the Axis of Resistance.
The Western leadership and establishment media have once again derided the Syrian presidential vote, but the people don’t care. They’re too busy celebrating the outcome of the election and the defeat of terrorism in their country.
The irony of media outlets and pundits from America tweeting about what they view as the failure to hold free and fair elections in Syria was not lost on some.
I wrote yesterday of the jubilation I saw in eastern Ghouta, where Syrians were celebrating the arrival of election day and proudly voting. I also noted that people “in eastern Ghouta were put through a hell that most of us, living safely far from war, cannot begin to fathom.” Back in 2018, I had seen their tortured faces shortly after their liberation. That made seeing them this week smiling incredibly moving.
Just ahead of the vote, I predicted there would be Western cynicism if President Assad won again, which would mean the West had failed in its regime-change project. I was right.
Syrian analyst Kevork Almassian, of Syriana Analysis, tweeted a thread about the mass celebrations around Syria, including in Homs, once dubbed the “capital of the revolution” by the delusional crowd, and Aleppo, the city the Western media said “fell” when it was liberated of the terrorists who reportedly murdered up to 11,000 civilians via their bombings and snipings.
He also noted that the media’s claims of Sunni Muslims hating Assad had no basis in reality (never mind the fact that the First Lady is Sunni, as are many in top leadership positions), tweeting photos of masses of Sunnis voting.
The Guardian, guilty of some of the filthiest war propaganda against Syrians, and usually reporting from Istanbul, deemed the 2021 elections “fake” and a “sham”. But the Guardian has never liked to give voice to the vast majority of Syrians in Syria, preferring instead to quote al-Qaeda-linked “media activists” and “unnamed sources”. So, it’s hardly surprising it would denigrate the event that Syrians are currently celebrating around the country.
Likewise, the BBC, another contender for the most outstanding war propaganda on Syria, unsurprisingly cited the “opposition” as calling the elections a “farce”.
The Western media likewise bleated “farce” when Syria provided 17 witnesses to testify at the Hague against the claims that Syria had used a chemical agent in Douma – a narrative that has been thoroughly debunked. And they’re still lying after all these years.
This outstanding report from Syria by Eva Bartlett penetrates the ‘iron dome’ of Western propaganda, also known as news. It is about a chemical attack that never happened in a country attacked, subverted and blockaded in your name.https://t.co/AX1Zwbg0g0— John Pilger (@johnpilger) May 27, 2021
Speaking to Syrian media yesterday in Douma, Assad said of the West’s derision of the elections: “The best response to colonialist countries with histories of genocide and occupations was the mass turnout of the people for the vote.”
And, regarding what the West thinks of the legitimacy of those elections, he concluded: “Your opinions are worth zero, and you are worth 10 zeros.”
Amen to that.
On Wednesday, the government extended the time in which people could vote by an additional five hours, as they did back in 2014, due to the high turnout. It even had to provide more voting boxes. In fact, in 2014, in Lebanon, which hosts the largest per capita population of Syrian refugees in the world, voting was extended not merely by five hours, but by an entire day.
As I wrote recently, Western nations have closed Syrian embassies globally to prevent those eligible from voting. But interestingly, as I learned from political analyst Laith Marouf in our discussion this week, “Syrians in the US went to the embassy at the UN and voted. That was a direct challenge to American hegemony, since the Americans closed the Syrian embassy in DC. But there is still a Syrian embassy at the UN, and that they can’t touch, the Americans. So many people showed up at the UN headquarters, waving flags, and so on.”
According to Marouf, in Beirut, tens of thousands Syrians went to the Syrian embassy last week, but “members of the Lebanese Forces party cut the roads towards the embassy and attacked cars and buses carrying Syrian citizens,” allegedly killing one in front of his children and on national live television.
“The other two countries that host the majority of Syrian refugees or immigrant populations, Germany and Turkey, again blocked the Syrian votes from happening,” he said.
Marouf spoke of the candidates, noting there were three: a leader of the opposition, a former minister, and President Assad.
“They have been vetted through security, making sure that they stand for the sovereignty of Syria, given that Syria has been living under a global war of terrorism, led by the US.”
On the ground on election day
I wrote on election day of the vibrance and peace I witnessed in Douma, and tweeted about the celebrations, about the Syrians singing and dancing.
One woman in Irbeen, a village in eastern Ghouta, told me, “Today is historic. He is writing victory, a renewed victory for Syria, the general and protector of Syria, Bashar al Assad. The people you see coming, do so by their free will.”
A side note: from the cross necklace she wore, I knew the woman was a Christian. The “rebel” terrorists the West supports and whose sadistic death cult they would have installed to govern Syria would have persecuted, even killed, women like her.
And that’s the crux of it: Syrians aren’t just celebrating the leader they overwhelmingly love and respect, they’re celebrating the defeat of this terrorism in their country and of the imperialists’ regime-change project in Syria.
A Syrian-American friend, Johnny Achi, flew to Syria expressly to vote in the elections. He told me: “I’m a Syrian citizen and have lived in the United States for about 30 years. I’m here in Damascus to exercise my rights and duties as a Syrian citizen, since the US chose to close our embassies. As long as the embassies are closed, we’re going to keep making the trip here, to exercise our duty and our democratic right.”
“I chose Douma, in eastern Ghouta, under the ‘rebels’ until 2018, to show that there is a big turnout here, that people are happy to be back in a government-controlled area. Everyone I talked to is so jubilant that they got rid of all of Jaysh al-Islam, Faylaq al-Rahman, and all those brigades that were making their lives miserable,” he said.
In Achi’s view, the US would not have accepted any of the candidates, no matter who won.
The pundits will opine, the media will screech, but aside from addressing that, I don’t care, and Syrians don’t care because they’re too busy celebrating.
On Thursday, while the votes were still being counted, I passed through Umayyad Square, a massive roundabout in central Damascus, where a party was beginning. Later in the evening, I returned, staying until after the votes had been counted and Assad had been declared the winner. Electric doesn’t even begin to describe the mood of triumphant Syrians celebrating their victory.
I’ve been coming to Syria since 2014, making 15 visits in all, gathering many heartbreaking testimonies, being caught up in many dangerous encounters with mortars and terrorist sniper fire. I, too, celebrate the return of peace to Syria. But, moreover, I celebrate the Syrians’ shunning of Western diktats and for continuing to live their lives as they choose.
As I stood filming cheering Syrians, the results were announced. The crowd went wild and the party continued. Of course, Western media outlets won’t accept Assad’s 95.1% result, but those Syrians simply do not care. They know the West has lost the plot.
Syria’s presidential elections signify the country’s victory in the decade-long Hybrid War of Terror and will help it transition towards its inevitable post-war future.
The Hybrid War of Terror on Syria isn’t yet fully over, but the country’s presidential elections nevertheless signify its victory. The entire purpose of that campaign was to forcefully remove President Assad from office, after which Syria would surrender its sovereignty to its neighbors, first and foremost “Israel” and Turkey. The country’s infrastructure and economy have been devastated by the humanitarian crisis that this conflict provoked, yet the Syrian people still stand strong. Although there exist some among them who despise their leader, the vast majority of the Syrian people still proudly support him, in some cases even more now after ten years of war than they did at its onset. That’s because many of them eventually realized that this is about much more than him personally, but the future of their civilization-state.
As it stands, Syria is presently divided into three “spheres of influence” – the liberated majority of the country, the American-controlled eastern portion beyond the Euphrates River, and the sliver of Turkish-controlled territory along the northern border that also importantly includes Idlib. Syrians in the last two regions didn’t have the chance to exercise their democratic rights since the occupying authorities naturally prevented them from doing so. In fact, they’ve made it all but impossible to reunify the country since the military situation is such that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) doesn’t want to risk a much larger war by attacking NATO forces there despite having the international legal right to expel the invaders. Resolving this dilemma will be among the top tasks facing President Assad during his next term seeing as how few doubt that he’ll win the elections.
I proposed some solutions in the analyses that I published back in February about how “Syria Should Talk With The US Since Its Iranian & Russian Allies Are Already Doing So” and “Balancing Regional Interests In Syria Is The Only Way To Reach A Compromise Solution”. In short, some form of decentralization granting broader political rights to the occupied regions might be a pragmatic means of resolving this dilemma, though of course, the devil is in the details so to speak. Iran’s military presence in the country, despite being legal and premised on fighting international terrorism there, is a major problem for the US. It’s unlikely that America will agree to any compromise solution so long as Iranian forces remain in Syria, but it’s also equally unlikely that Syria will ask them to leave, even through a phased but dignified withdrawal. Damascus depends on Tehran’s anti-terrorist support, and the Iranian presence also prevents Syria from falling under disproportionate Russian influence.
On the topic of Russian-Syrian relations, ties remain excellent and continue to diversify into other fields beyond the military one, but there hasn’t been as much progress on courting Russian businesses as Syria had hoped. The unilateral US sanctions regime acts as a powerful deterrent to reconstruction efforts, though these are unlikely to be lifted so long as Iranian military forces remain in the country. America seems to have realized that President Assad isn’t going anywhere since he genuinely enjoys tremendous grassroots support among the vast majority of his people so regime change no longer remains a viable policy option. Instead, the US will predictably seek to transition towards “regime tweaking”, or pressuring Syria to make certain political changes that accommodate American interests such as decentralization.
It’s unclear whether such a policy will succeed, especially remembering that Iran probably won’t be asked to withdraw from Syria, so observers can expect for this issue to remain unresolved for the indefinite future. That being the case, President Assad’s other top priority is to more comprehensively rebuild the liberated majority of the country. This will be difficult so long as the US’ unilateral sanctions regime and secondary sanctions threats remain in place, but progress could prospectively be achieved through a combination of Russian, Iranian, Chinese, and Emirati efforts. So long as their companies have the will to face possible American sanctions, which is admittedly questionable, they’ll be able to help rebuild Syria. As an incentive, Damascus could offer them preferential partnerships, but this still might not be enough for some of them to take that risk.
It’s indeed possible for there to be no political or economic breakthroughs in Syria anytime soon, in which case the country will continue to struggle but nevertheless continue making gradual progress in a positive direction. The only real security threats that remain come from ISIS sleeper cells, mostly outside the most populated areas judging by recent reports about their attacks. This will always be a problem and probably won’t ever be fully resolved considering the nature of the threat itself. Even so, the Syrian intelligence agencies and their allies will continue to infiltrate and dismantle such groups, but some will always evade detection until it’s too late. That, however, shouldn’t represent any considerable obstacle to Syria’s gradual reconstruction, but highly publicized attacks might dissuade all but the bravest international investors.
Another priority of President Assad’s next term in office will be encouraging his compatriots who fled over the past decade to return home and help rebuild their country. Some will decide not to if they retain political grievances or committed war crimes of course, but it’s expected that more Syrians will eventually move back over the coming years. The state will therefore have to continue supporting this special category of citizens, made all the more difficult by the never-ending economic crises caused by the US’ unilateral sanctions regime, but it also has a lot to gain in the sphere of soft power so it’ll probably do its best in this respect in order to show the world that the situation is normalizing. With time, and combined with possible investment incentives amid continually improving security, Syria might be able to turn the tide on its economic crisis.
Returning back to the lead-in topic of this analysis, the strategic significance of the Syrian elections, it can be said that they represent a new phase of normalization there. The last ones in 2014 took place during the worsening war, but this time everything is comparatively much better. The Western Mainstream Media will continue to delegitimize the Syrians’ exercise of their democratic rights, but policymakers will pragmatically realize that it’s a dead-end for them to continue agitating for regime change. Syria might even eventually repair some of its political relations with certain Western countries, not right away of course, but with time. Its political and economic challenges will likely remain unresolved for a while, but even so, the world should realize that Syria emerged victorious in the decade-long Hybrid War of Terror and that better days are surely ahead.
President Bashar Assad delivered his victory speech after declaring the presidential election results, the televised speech is full of strong words, messages to the Syrian people, their friends, and to their enemies, and vows to start a new constitutional term with more determination on completing the battle against the enemies and to rebuild the country.
In a televised speech, the Syrian President who was re-elected with a whopping 95.1% of the votes, sent several messages to his people and to the enemies abroad, charged with the strength and determination he received from the Syrians who proved once again their steadfastness to continue battling the regime change, occupation, and stealing of their riches by voting again to President Assad for a 4th term, the 2nd based on the recent constitution of 2012, and they voted in an unprecedented flocking to the voting centers all over the country challenging the terrorist threats and ignoring the comments from some western countries and their regional stooges as the approval of those parties is not required to determine who will be leading Syria.
The following is the video clip with English subtitles, followed by the full transcript in English, the translation is partly done by the Syrian News Agency SANA:
Dear fellow citizens, my brothers in loyalty and belonging (to Syria),
In each national entitlement, whether this entitlement was a defense by weapon, opinion, work, or a constitutional entitlement, you have always been making your special definition for the meaning of patriotism, and in every stage that we have been through, your definition has carried special messages, whether for the friend or the enemy, which stems from the conditions of that stage and suits its challenges.
And despite that your several messages didn’t lack, at any time of the war, the wisdom, eloquence, and clearness in their terms, and the deep meaning carried in its lines and in between the lines, but the enemies and opponents have insisted to avoid and deny them, as part of their policies based on denying the reality, denying the failure and defeat of the their policies, and not recognizing the deterioration of their principles and ethics, and they seemed during the latest years that they were infected with insanity… as they see through their eyes, but they don’t see through their minds.
In this entitlement (the presidential election), your definition of patriotism did not differ in its context but it differed in the way and manner, and it will inevitably differ in results and repercussions, your messages will penetrate all barriers and shields they have put around their minds, and it will shift their minds from the willful lethargy state they lived in for years to the coercive thinking state of what is happening on the ground.
What have you done during the past weeks was not a mere celebration in an occasion, nor was it an expression of patriotic emotion or enthusiasm, or adherence to a national duty which is participation in the presidential election; rather what happened goes beyond all that, in wide-scale and great distances. What you have done was a phenomenon of unprecedented challenge to enemies of the homeland of all their nationalities, loyalties, and dependences.
It has broken their false arrogance and pride, and was a slap on the faces of their agents, this challenge was on the highest level of expressing true and deep loyalty to the homeland, it was sending messages in the strongest terms to persons who were sitting in the dark rooms plotting schemes and intrigues dreaming of success at the expense of our blood, money, dignity, and honor, and who will mourn their misfortune again with their tools for their miscalculations, short-sightedness, and lack of understanding the reality and the nature and the essence of this people.
You have turned the scales and broken the game rules and undoubtedly affirmed that those rules are set and determined only here, and made here, and is specified here by our own hands, and that there is no place for partners except for the brothers and friends.
You have redefined patriotism, and this automatically means redefining treason, and the difference between them is like the difference between the so-called the revolution of rebels and what we have witnessed the agitation of bulls, it is like the difference between a rebel (Tha’er in Arabic) that absorbs honor and a bull (Thawr in Arabic) that fed with fodder, between a rebel whose way is honor and pride and a bull that is fond of disgrace and shame, and between a rebel who kneels to his creator and a bull who falls into prostration for the dollar.
You have defined the revolution and brought back its brilliance after part of mercenaries, who lack honor and bear a Syrian passport, have defamed its name, you’ve rescued the reputation (of the revolution) and you’ve relaunched it, so what happened were not celebrations, but rather a revolution in the true sense of the word, not metaphorical, a revolution against terrorism, treason and moral deterioration, a revolution of the tongue, pen, work, and a weapon.
A revolution entitled “honor” against every fallen who has agreed for himself to be a ride on which others can ride to take them wherever they want.
Brothers, gentlemen and lady citizens,
The people choosing me to serve them in the coming constitutional period is a great honor that only the honor of belonging to this people can live up to, not only in the identity card, but in the opinions, aspirations, values, and habits, and what increases my enthusiasm and confidence in future is the spirit of challenge you have, which without it, the bearer of the responsibility cannot face the largest national challenges, and without it a homeland cannot rise up after 10 years of war.
It is your potential strength, which appears in its clear form in the major milestones, provoked by challenges and transformed by your will into action and achievement.
It is the mighty energy that provides the nation with strength and prepares it for victory and triumph.,
I am confident that with this fighting spirit, we will be able to defeat all our enemies, no matter how many fights, and how much the horrors intensify.
This spirit is what we need for the next stage which is a stage of continuous work, resistance and steadfastness in order to prove to our enemies once again that fighting our people through their basic needs and livelihood, would not affect, but increase their commitment to homeland and all of what it represents.
And this people, at the major challenges and entitlements, has always proven that the country is above all.
Brothers, dearest ones, I greet every Syrian citizen who has expressed, through his/her own way, his love to the homeland in every city, town, and village, whether through rallies, popular gatherings, or other ways, I greet and salute every individual, family and tribe who have shown their utmost belonging to their country and raised its flag and withstood in the war and challenged in the entitlement.
I salute our citizens abroad who have integrated through their messages from outside with the messages of their brothers inside, where the far distance and obstacles have not prevented them from participating enthusiastically in the election, and to those who have not been able to cast vote under pressures or intimidation they exerted upon them, we say that your votes have reached, with doubled force, not through the ballot box, but through your stance, so the message has been delivered to the enemies and the patriotic mission has been fulfilled.
You’ve lived a proud people that does not accept dishonor, you’ve a proud people who does not submit to hardship and does not bow down to anyone but God.
Long live and long live Syria, free, honorable, strong, and invincible, peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
End of the English transcript.
This is the first time President Assad uses such strong terms to describe the terrorists acting as rebels in a revolution, describing them as bulls in Arabic and in the context he put is not a favorable description at all.
The Syrian president also raised the level of challenge against the west and described them as disconnected from reality, created their own vision, and blocked themselves from seeing the developments on the ground, ‘they’re infected with insanity,’ and they’re (the enemies of Syria are) ‘not recognizing the deterioration of their principles and ethics’, President Assad describing the likes of officials in the USA, France, Germany, and other countries which have tried to interfere in the Syrian presidential election
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In a lengthy interview with The Monitor, former U.S. special envoy to Syria James Jeffrey made confessions about his country’s Syria policy, which can rightly be said to be the kind of scandal revealed by WikiLeaks documents.
James Jeffrey said: I convinced Secretary Pompeo of the USA administration that Iran should be treated as a nuclear problem like North Korea and that it represents a threat to security in the region, and we supported the Israeli air campaign against Iranian targets in Syria, we told them if you did not address the Iranian presence in Syria will not succeed in the war against ISIS, and we invoked the administration’s war against terrorism to justify the “Israeli” air campaign against Iranian targets in Syria, so we made a policy in Syria that is at the heart of our Iranian policy and the result was relatively successful, because we got a lot of Turkish assistance.
Elsewhere, James Jeffrey says: “We have stepped up the pressure of siege and isolation on Assad, we have kept along the line to prevent any reconstruction assistance that the country needs, see what happened in the Syrian pound, you see what happened to the Syrian economy, it was a very useful strategy.”
On the Iranian issue, he also says that “Iran’s ability in Syria to impose an equation similar to south Lebanon through long-range missiles stopped because of the Israeli air campaign, and the continuation of this campaign is due to The American diplomatic support and I will not enter into more details on the subject, we have stopped Iran’s long-term objectives and put its presence under pressure, but I do not know if it is enough to force it to leave Syria. I know that this is an important element for any broader agreement and no matter how much pain we attribute to the Russians, the regime in Syria and the Iranians, this will not disappear until Iran leaves Syria.”
He also said that Russia is winning politics and it knows that there is no military solution to the crisis, and we have clearly told them that we will lift the sanctions, and that Assad will return to the Arab League and will drop the diplomatic blockade if they accept our offer put by Pompeo in Sochi in 2019, they know what this offer is.”
(Part2: Turkey kurds and how were they lying to Trump?).
في مقابلة طويلة أجراها مع (ذي مونيتر) أدلى المبعوث الأميركي الخاص السابق الى سورية جيمس جيفري بكلام أشبه بالاعترافات حول سياسة بلاده في سورية، يمكن القول عنها بحق إنها من نوع الفضائح التي كشفتها وثائق «ويكيليكس».
قال جيمس جيفري: لقد أقنعت مع وزير الخارجية بومبيو أعضاء الإدارة الأميركية أنه يجب التعامل مع إيران على أنها مشكلة نوويّة على غرار كوريا الشمالية وأنها تمثل تهديداً للأمن في المنطقة، كما دعمنا الحملة الجوية «الإسرائيلية» ضدّ الأهداف الإيرانية في سورية، قلنا لهم إذا لم تعالجوا التواجد الإيراني في سورية فلن تنجحوا بالحرب ضدّ داعش، وتذرّعنا للإدارة بالحرب ضدّ الإرهاب لتبرير الحملة الجوية «الإسرائيلية» على أهداف إيرانية في سورية، هكذا صنعنا سياسة في سورية تدخل في صلب سياستنا الإيرانية العامة وكانت نتيجتها ناجحة نسبياً، لأننا حصلنا على الكثير من المساعدة التركية.
في مكان آخر يقول جيمس جيفري: «لقد صعّدنا ضغوط الحصار والعزلة على الأسد، لقد حافظنا على طول الخط على منع أية مساعدة لإعادة الإعمار التي يحتاجها البلد، أرأيتم ماذا حلّ بالليرة السورية، أرأيتم ماذا حلّ بالاقتصاد السوري، لقد كانت استراتيجية مفيدة جداً».
في الشأن الإيراني يقول أيضاً «إنّ قدرة إيران في سورية على فرض معادلة شبيهة بجنوب لبنان عبر صواريخ بعيدة المدى توقفت بسبب الحملة الجوية الإسرائيلية، ويعود استمرار هذه الحملة إلى الدعم الدبلوماسي الأميركي ولن أدخل بتفاصيل أكير عن الموضوع، لقد أوقفنا أهداف إيران البعيدة المدى ووضعنا وجودها تحت الضغط، لكن لا أعرف إذا كان كافياً حتى يجبرها على ترك سورية. أنا أعرف أن هذا عنصر مهمّ لأيّ اتفاق أوسع ومهما كان الألم الذي نسبّبه للروس وللنظام في سورية وللإيرانيين فهذا لن يختفي قبل مغادرة إيران لسورية».
قال أيضاً «إنّ روسيا تكسب بالسياسة وهي تعلم ان لا حلّ عسكرياً للأزمة، وقد قلنا لهم بشكل واضح إننا سوف نرفع العقوبات، وإنّ الأسد سوف يعود الى الجامعة العربية وسوف يسقط الحصار الدبلوماسي في حال قبلوا بعرضنا الذي طرحه بومبيو في سوتشي عام 2019، هم يعرفون ما هو هذا العرض».
(الجزء الثاني: تركيا الأكراد وكيف كانوا يكذبون على ترامب؟).
Speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah on May 13, 2020, on the occasion of the commemoration of the martyrdom of Hezbollah Commander Mostapha Badreddine, known as ‘Zulfiqar’, killed in Syria in May 2016.
Syria has already won the war, even if there are still some minor battles to be fought
Having failed militarily, the enemies of Syria strive doubly hard in their diplomatic, economic and psychological warfare
There is no dissension between the allies of Damascus, nor a struggle for influence between Iran and Russia
News of Bashar al-Assad being sidelined is just propaganda
There are no Iranian armed forces in Syria, just military cadres and advisers
Having bet everything on the terrorists, Israel sees its defeat and fears the recovery of Syria and the threat it will pose to the occupation of the Golan and the very existence of the Zionist entity
The so-called Israeli campaign against the Iranian presence in Syria is nothing but window dressing aimed at reassuring Israeli opinion and providing cover for attacks on the Syrian ballistic power
Israel presents as a victory a simple redeployment of forces due to successive victories over almost the entire Syrian territory, and a reduction in air movements between Iran and Syria due to the coronavirus
Iran, Hezbollah and other Resistance movements will never leave Syria
Israeli incursions into Syria are caused by worry, fear and adventurism, but can lead to uncontrolled escalation and regional war
This video only subtitles the last section of the transcript below, ‘Israel in Syria‘
Transcript:
Syria won the world war against it
[…] Today we can say that Syria won this war. In previous battles, when great achievements were made, such as after the liberation of Homs, Damascus, the South and even Aleppo, it was said that Syria had won the war, and analysts and specialists in strategic issues said no: Syria had won one (or more) battles, but had not (yet) won the war. Because a war is made of many battles: you can win a battle, lose another, win a third, lose the fourth, but all that does not (necessarily) mean that the whole war is won, or that the whole war is lost.
Today, in all simplicity, and via an objective and genuine assessment (of the situation), whoever goes to Syria and travels there —except for the politicized Arab (and Western) media—, whoever goes to Syria, in its provinces, in its cities, in its villages and boroughs, in all the regions currently in the hands of the State, anyone who observes the overall situation in Syria can easily affirm that Syria won the war, although there are still some battles going on. It should not be said that Syria has won one, two or three battles, and has lost one or two others, and that the war is still going on, without it being clear whether Syria will win it or not, no. The fair and accurate strategic assessment is that the Syrian leaders, the Syrian army, the Syrian State and the great majority of the Syrian people who stood firm in this struggle won this war.
Of course, there are still a few battles left, military or political, which require persistence and continuity of action, whether in Idlib, East of the Euphrates or certain areas North of Syria, but this is only a partial, limited and circumscribed part (of Syria). Syria has triumphed over partition projects, Syria has won this war, and suffice it to say that the objectives of this world war (against Syria) for which, according to their own admission, hundreds of billions of Arabian dollars have been spent —the dollar is American, but it is the Arab (countries) that have paid the bills; if this money had been spent for the good of the Arab peoples of our region, they would have extricated them from ignorance, poverty, misery, illiteracy, diseases, and the said funding countries (Saudi Arabia, etc. ) would not face financial incapacity in the face of the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic as they do now—, thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition, tens of thousands of terrorists and takfiris who were brought from all over the world, dozens of international conferences, etc., etc., etc. They have deployed everything, done everything, absolutely everything, to achieve their objective in Syria: sectarian or political slogans, incitement (to racial or religious hatred), everything that the front of Arrogance (imperialism) and its instruments were able to mobilize in terms of resources and ideology, everything they could do against Syria, they did. And Syria, through the perseverance of its leaders, its army, its people and the State, and thanks to the presence and perseverance of its allies by its side, managed to win this war.
And that is why today, when we talk about our martyr leader, Sayed Mustapha Badreddine, and our other martyrs in Syria, we feel, in addition to the consequences for their afterlife and their (eminent) position close to God the Most High and the Exalted as martyrs, we have the feeling that their blood has borne fruit and enabled these results to be achieved, and that the objective for which they went to fight and for which they sacrificed their blood, their peace and their life, and for which they made unremitting efforts night and day, this goal was achieved and it is before our eyes today.
Economic, diplomatic & psychological warfare
I will now raise some points (concerning Syria). The first point is that naturally, what (the enemies of Syria) have been unable to achieve militarily, they have been trying for the past few years to obtain it politically, through political pressure on the Syrian leaders, on the allies of Syria, on Iran, on Russia, on those who stand alongside Syria, through international relations, through the UN Security Council, through intimidation, threats and tempting promises, so that the allies of Damascus will abandon Syria. But all of this has failed so far. And we know that sometimes the political battle is just as intense as the armed struggle. And sometimes its dangers are even greater, and require all of our vigilance and attention. Syria is still plunged into political war and is facing political pressures which, so far, have failed to achieve any of their goals.
Naturally, and I come to the second point, after the failure of the military war and the impotence and the ineffectiveness of the political war and the political pressures in achieving any objective at all, the front of Arrogance (imperialism), the American despots and their Allies resorted to other means, namely psychological warfare on the one hand, and sanctions and blockade on the other. With regard to psychological warfare, a very broad front has been open for years against Syria, and lately there has been an intensification of psychological warfare, some aspects of which I will touch on in a moment. Likewise, the sanctions and the state of siege against Syria are increasing, and they are betting on the economic consequences (which they hope get unbearable for Syria and its allies). The coronavirus has added to these pressures, but this pandemic is not specific to Syria: the pressures of the coronavirus are weighing on the whole world. Today, those who besiege Iran, Syria, Venezuela and other countries, Gaza, Yemen, etc., are starting to suffer the economic consequences of the coronavirus themselves. We have all seen the catastrophe hitting the United States, the countries of Western Europe, as well as certain countries in our region (Saudi Arabia, etc.). In any event, it is also a means of attacking Syria, namely economic pressures, sanctions, the state of siege against Syria.
With regard to the sanctions and the blockade, we place our hopes on the endurance of the Syrian leaders, the Syrian State and the Syrian people, just as they persevered in the face of the military and political war. What gives us hope is that Syria is a country endowed with human capital and colossal possibilities; the Syrian people are full of liveliness, the wealth and innate means of Syria are many and huge. Before the crisis, Syria was not a debt-ridden or weak country, nor was it a country brimming with wealth, but its economy was entirely viable. In some Arab countries, millions of people live in cemeteries, but no family lived in a cemetery in Syria. Anyway, in the economic battle, the livelihood battle, the financial battle, we have good hope in the endurance and initiative of Syria, just as we trust Syria to succeed against the psychological battle.
Tensions between Syria’s allies ?
With regard to the psychological battle, I would like to give an example, before addressing my last point concerning Syria. Part of the psychological battle concerns the situation of the allies, and we often hear that the allies of Damascus have started to abandon Syria. (According to these rumors), Iran would be entangled in its internal situation and would prepare to abandon Syria. Russia, because of the pressures, its internal situation, such pressures or such problems or I don’t know what other rubbish, would abandon Syria. All these words express only dreams and hopes that we have been hearing for years, and some have been disseminated as if they were information, etc., but they were only aspirations (US / Israeli / Saudi wishful thinking).
Among the talking points of the current psychological warfare, let us quote again the recurrent remarks that we find in the media of the Gulf and certain Western media —the Western media are more reluctant to diffuse these reports, because they try to preserve the (little) credibility they still have— about an Iranian-Russian power struggle in Syria. There is no hint of truth in it. I said at the beginning of my speech that I was going to talk about Iran again. In the two points that remain for me to address (on Syria), I will clearly point out certain sensitive points which concern the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Neither the Islamic Republic of Iran, nor Hezbollah, nor the Resistance factions from different countries —Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. ; yes, Resistance movements came from these countries and fought in Syria alongside the Syrian Arab Army, the Syrian people and the Syrian popular forces, and are still present there… The Islamic Republic of Iran is not fighting for influence against anyone in Syria. Neither against Russia —regardless of what Russia is doing— nor against anyone. The position of the Islamic Republic in Syria was clear from the beginning: its (only) goal was to prevent the fall of Syria under American-Israeli control, and under the control of the instruments of Arrogance (imperialism), our common enemy. This was Iran’s goal, and nothing else. The Islamic Republic does not seek any influence in Syria, it has no aims and no greed in Syria, and has no desire to interfere in the internal affairs of Syria. Iranian interference in Syria has never existed, does not exist and will never exist with regard to internal Syrian issues, whether in the form of the regime, government, laws, the State… Iran will never do anything that some other States (especially the imperialist and neo-colonialist West) do, in any case. All that mattered and still matters for the Islamic Republic of Iran is that Syria remains in its (pro-) Arab, (pro-) Islamic, (pro-) Resistance position, that it preserves its identity, its independence, its sovereignty, its unity, that Syria remains a noble and dignified, persevering fortress, does not submit to American and Zionist hegemony, and does not compromise on its rights (over the Golan). This is all that Iran wants in Syria, no more no less. And that does not enter into any struggle for influence with anyone.
Certainly, to be completely frank and sincere, there may be differences between the allies as regards the definition of certain military or ground priorities, political questions, at the level of negotiations, etc. But this in no way leads to a struggle for influence, because the decisions of the Islamic Republic are categorical as regards the position alongside the Syrian leaders (who have the final say on all matters), Iran complying with what they determine and accept. The Islamic Republic has a position of support towards the endurance, the persistence, the maintenance and the independence of Syria, and its resilience in the face of projects of hegemony and control over it, and of liquidation of the Axis of Resistance in the region. In this regard, I would therefore like to reassure the masses & supporters of the Resistance in the Arab-Islamic world: in Syria, there is no struggle for influence between Iran and Russia, so we could say that the front of the allies and supporters of Damascus is plagued by internal strife or is in withdrawal. This is absolutely not true.
Israel in Syria
The other point I also wanted to talk about concerning Syria and Iran in Syria, and the Israeli enemy in Syria, is the Israeli aggressions and the Israeli project in Syria. Especially in the past few weeks, the Zionist Israeli Minister of War (Naftali Bennett) is trying to brag and present (false victories) to the Israeli masses, lying to them and misleading them, and also to the public opinion in the Arab-Muslim world —and there are also Arab media that spread these lies and falsifications—, in order to highlight the imaginary victories and achievements of Israel in Syria at the expense of Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Axis of Resistance. I want to talk about it a bit, and it may be the first time that I do it in such a frank and detailed way, even if it will be synthetic.
During the first years (of the war in Syria), from 2011, Israel bet on the (terrorist) armed groups. The relations of the armed groups —especially in the south of Syria— with Israel are absolutely undeniable: exchange of information, financing, supplies, medical care, aid and support of all kinds, up to transit, all this is well known and obvious. Israel has been active in the war in Syria since 2011, and has counted & invested heavily on those who fight the regime in Syria. Israel had a whole set of objectives, the highest of which was the fall of the regime and the liquidation of the current administration (of Bashar al-Assad). But there were several other lesser goals.
When this war against Syria failed, and the Zionists understood that their instruments and the horse on which they had bet had failed in Syria, and that they had lost the war… They are still fighting in Syria, but they lost the war, as I just explained. The proof is that all of southern Syria, the vast majority of which was under the control of armed groups, which cooperated with Israel, was assisted by Israel and were Israel’s allies both openly and secretly, they all left, and some left Syria via the Zionist entity. We don’t forget their buses at night.
The Israelis therefore understood that their objective (to bring down the regime) had failed. They therefore aimed at a new objective, namely to fight against a new danger which appears to them, new dangers which will emanate from the situation and the victory in Syria. What are these new dangers? Some reside in the Syrian Arab forces themselves, in the Syrian army and in the Syrian military capabilities, especially with regard to ballistic capability and the manufacture of precision missiles. And that’s why we see that Israel is attacking everything related to the production of missiles in Syria, because he considers that the ballistic capacity and the manufacture of missiles constitute a (enormous) force for Syria, and obviously also for the Axis of Resistance.
Israel therefore considers Syria as a future threat, Syria which has stood firm during all these years in the face of a universal war waged against it: if Damascus regains its strength and regains its health, and develops its military, human and material capabilities, this will give Syria prevalence in the region and in the Arab-Israeli struggle. Therefore, Israel considers Syria as a threat, a future threat: Syria may not be a current threat, because it remains entangled in its internal situation and the few battles that remain to be fought. Likewise, Israel views the presence of Iran and Resistance factions in Syria as a threat. Israel is worried about Syria, Israel is afraid. Israel is terrified of what the future holds for it in Syria. This is the true description of the situation.
So look at the way Israeli officials express themselves about the Golan Heights, claiming that in southern Syria, for example, Hezbollah has a certain presence and a certain activity, and is trying to create a structure (of Resistance), with the help, silence or complicity of the Syrian authorities, cooperating with young Syrians (combatants) in order to recover the Golan and attack the Israeli occupation in the Golan. And all this while nothing important has happened yet. But this simple assumption, this simple fact created an atmosphere of terror within the Zionist entity, and sometimes pushes it to escalation measures which can lead to unforeseen and dramatic consequences (an open regional war). This indicates that Israel behaves towards Syria from a position of worry, fear and terror in the face of the consequences of the great victory in Syria. You have to keep that in mind in the first place.
Israel has therefore announced a goal in Syria. He cannot declare that he strikes Syria and the Syrian army, even if that is what he is doing concretely. Israel has therefore announced a goal linked to the Iranian presence in Syria, and the presence of Hezbollah, even if he insists above all on the Iranian presence. So they launched a campaign under the slogan “We want to expel Iran from Syria.” And their stupidity is such that it prompted the Israeli Minister of War, Naftali Bennett, to go so far as to set a timetable, promising that before the end of 2020, he would have ended the Iranian presence in Syria. So remember this deadline and count the months that we have before the end of the year to see what will happen to the promise of this stupid minister.
Israel has therefore worked to achieve this goal. What did they do, apart from the international, regional and domestic incitement, and the attempt to present the Iranian presence in Syria —which I will describe in detail— as having gone from a factor of assistance to a burden for Syria, which is a gross lie? They began with airstrikes and air operations which occasionally hit means of transport, warehouses or certain locations in Syria. This has been happening for years, and I never talked about it (in detail).
What is new? The new thing is that Israel goes astray, tricks its people and deceives the opinion in our region (and in the world) —and we are always fighting this battle to raise public awareness by revealing the truth—, trying to present certain details like the proofs of his victory in Syria and the beginning of the defeat of the Axis of Resistance or the Islamic Republic of Iran, the beginning of our exit and withdrawal (from Syria).
What are the clues and evidence that Israel puts forward? For several weeks, certain Israeli officials, media and analysts have been propagating these statements, even if other Israeli analysts say that these statements are inaccurate and just for show —and the latter are the ones who are right. Israel has spoken of several points (put forward as evidence of an Iranian withdrawal from Syria):
1/ the number of troops: the “Iranian (armed) forces”, to use their expression, would have greatly decreased in Syria;
2/ certain bases that have been evacuated, returned (to the Syrian authorities) or abandoned;
3/ the concentration of efforts on eastern Syria and the presence in the region of al-Boukamal, Deir Ezzor, etc.
The conclusion of all of this, (if we are to believe the Zionist enemy), is that the result of intelligence operations, military actions and aerial bombardments carried out by Israel, have largely fulfilled their objectives: Iran would leave Syria, the Iranians would be in full withdrawal, Hezbollah would retreat, and this moron (Bennett) believes he achieved an historic exploit which he trumpets at every occasion, predicting the full achievement of this objective before the end of 2020. Just see how he spreads these lies and fools public opinion.
Let me show you the real situation. First, regarding the situation on the ground, Israel keeps talking about the presence of “Iranian (armed) forces”, but in Syria there have only been Iranian military advisers and experts since 2011. I would like to say that they were present even before 2011 alongside the Syrian Arab Army and alongside the Resistance in Lebanon (Hezbollah), and after 2011, they remained, and due to the events, their number increased. But there are no Iranian military forces in Syria. When we talk about Iranian military forces, we mean one or more battalions, one or more units, legions, etc. That is what we are referring to when we talk about the armed forces.
There are a number of military advisers and experts in Syria, the number of which has increased with the events (since 2011). They had and still have a very important role:
1/ providing support and advice to the Syrian armed forces;
2/ managing groups of Syrian, Arab and Islamic popular forces which they train, arm and lead in the various battles in progress;
3/ coordinating operations with Resistance movements, including Hezbollah;
4/ coordinating the logistical support operations provided by the Iranian defense ministry to the Syrian defense ministry.
These Iranian advisers are not Iranian (armed) forces. It is not an Iranian armed presence.
You see, the Israelis announced a nonexistent, illusory, imaginary goal, similar to the objective of successive American administrations to prevent Iran from manufacturing nuclear weapons, while the Iranians do not have nuclear weapons and do not want to obtain nuclear weapons. In Syria, Israel is waging an imaginary battle to prevent Iranian forces from being present in Syria. While in Syria there are only Iranian military advisers and military experts. Despite all the difficulties, the situation in Syria in no way requires the arrival of Iranian (armed) forces in Syria.
To be frank and honest, at one point, a real discussion took place on this subject with the Iranian leaders, and at one point, for a few months, certain Iranian armed forces came to Aleppo, for 2 or 3 months. But apart from this exceptional case, there have never been Iranian forces in Syria, and I say and repeat that there are only advisers, in the number required by the situation: there may be more or less according to the needs of the field, and many of them fell martyrs —some could put forward this argument as proof of an armed presence; but it’s because these advisers were on the front lines alongside the Syrian Arab Army and Resistance factions, fighting and participating in battles, in the manner of the school of their commander of the al-Quds Forces, the martyr Qassem Soleimani, may God the Most High be pleased with him. This is therefore the real and precise description of the situation.
Secondly, naturally, as the battles were won, whether for the Iranians or the factions of the Resistance, and sometimes even for the Syrian army, when the battle or the threat ended in a region, there was no longer any reason to maintain a presence of combatants or military bases, nor our positions on combat axes and front lines. At one time, the fighting was taking place (simultaneously) in Homs, in the rif of Damascus, in Damascus, in the East of Homs, in the suburbs of Aleppo and in Aleppo itself, in Idlib, in the south of Syria, Badiya, al-Boukamal, Deir Ezzor, etc. It was therefore natural to have a presence (of the armed forces) in all these regions. While on the coast, there were no battles, and there was therefore no reason to have this presence.
When the province of Homs was liberated, this presence ceased. Same thing when the battles in Damascus and in the rif of Hama ended, as well as in southern Syria, in Palmyra and in the Badiya. If the Syrian army, of which it is the country, wanted to maintain a certain presence in certain barracks, to take the necessary precautions (to face a possible resurgence of the terrorists), that made sense; but as for the auxiliary forces, whether Iranians, Hezbollah or other factions of the Resistance, it is quite natural that they left this region, maintaining only the minimum of personnel, of combatants and of material there as a precaution. There would have been no reason to maintain the same number of forces, the same bases, etc.
For about two years, when this victory became clear, especially after the liberation of the Badiya and the opening of the highway to Aleppo, and the end of the battle in Damascus, in the rif of Damascus and in the south, the (Syrian & allied) forces gathered (in the last places of activity of the terrorists). The presence of many Iranian advisers was no longer required, and so they returned to Iran. Likewise for a number of Hezbollah fighters and cadres in Syria, whose presence was no longer useful, so they returned to Lebanon. Many of our Iraqi brothers and other nationalities were no longer required, so they returned home.
The situation in Syria having become very good, (what would have been the point of maintaining all this presence)? Some bases and barracks have always remained empty, and had been prepared in case there was a need for additional manpower. Many bases and barracks were no longer useful because there were no more fights, and were therefore abandoned. It all started two years ago or more, and has nothing to do with Israeli operations and attacks in Syria. It has nothing to do with the Israeli strikes in Syria. And that has nothing to do with the martyrdom of brother commander Hajj Qassem Soleimani. It started under his leadership, and the current leadership of the Al-Quds Forces (IRGC) continues the same program it began operating over two years ago.
Likewise, Hezbollah and the rest of the factions of the Resistance have started to do the same for more than two years, namely to decrease the troops, decrease the number of (active) bases, decrease the presence, because Syria begins to recover, Syria has won, the Syrian Arab Army has won, many frontlines no longer exist, the battles having been definitively won there. This is the truth.
Today, when anyone talks about a downsizing of foreign forces in Syria… Let me give you an example for Lebanon. At some point I announced that on the whole axis of Qalamoun, we ended our presence (that used to be massive), keeping only one or two positions. Same thing for the whole axis of Zabadani. All was done in coordination with the Syrian army. Is this an Israeli success? Or is this fact explained because the Syrian army and the Resistance won all the battles in these regions, as well as in the rif of Damascus, in the rif of Homs, etc. What would be the point, once the fighting is over, of staying on the mountains, in the cold, in the heat, what good is it to mobilize and use resources, etc. All that would be useless, it would be a waste of material and human resources. When the fighting is over, all we have to do is pack up and return to our main front, namely southern Lebanon (facing Israel).
The pseudo-evidence put forward by Israel today, namely the issue of the reduction of troops in Syria, the total or partial evacuation of certain places, bases or positions, this is only due to the fact that the presence there would no longer make any sense, as for example in Damascus or around Damascus, where the fighting has stopped. It is quite natural that the military presence should go to al-Boukamal, Deir Ezzor, Aleppo, Idlib, because the front lines are there, and there is no more fighting elsewhere. The remaining battles are there, so those who want to help must go there and not sit (arms crossed) in Damascus.
The pseudo-evidence advanced by Israel in no way proves Israeli successes, but proves the victory of Syria, the victory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the victory of Hezbollah, the victory of the Axis of Resistance in Syria. This victory in the war involves, as with any army and any military force in the world, a redeployment of forces in accordance with new responsibilities and new challenges, in the light of our achievements and victories.
More so, a sign of the imbecility and lies of the Israeli media is that they have tried to explain the fact that for example, lately, the movements between Syria and Iran have decreased somewhat —air freight, the movement of airplanes—, and this has also been put forward as evidence of the Israeli military successes in Syria, while these claims are nothing but lies and falsifications. The cause is the coronavirus. The covid-19 which impacted the US military, European armies, and even the army of the Israeli enemy itself, which canceled maneuvers, training, and large military parades planned to celebrate the anniversary of the victory of 1945, and it is only natural that the pandemic also affects Syria, the Islamic Republic, ourselves and everyone.
To summarize this point, by way of synthesis before evoking the internal situation in Lebanon in the minutes that I have left, I would like to address the Israeli public to invite them to check their information and not to believe the lies of their leaders, who put forward imaginary victories in Syria, whether against Syria or against Iran. Admittedly, Syria suffers prejudice, just as Iranian advisers, Hezbollah and the Resistance in Syria are affected by the Israeli aggressions, which the Syrian, Iranian and Resistance leaders consider as they should —I don’t have time to speak in detail about our point of view on the issue, I will do it another time if necessary—, but the Israelis need to know that what their leaders are saying is only lies, deception and illusions, purely imaginary achievements. And if Israel continues on this path, they can make a mistake or a blunder that would blow up the whole region.
As for the announced objective, namely to expel the Iranian presence —the military advisers, and not the pseudo Iranian forces, as I explained— or even to expel Hezbollah and the Resistance from Syria, this objective will never be achieved, o Zionists. This objective will never be achieved. These advisers are present following a joint decision by Syria and Iran, and the Resistance movements are present at the request of the Syrian leaders and in accordance with the will of the Resistance movements themselves, and all those who, since 2011 to date, have sacrificed thousands of martyrs and suffered thousands of injuries, will not be defeated or deterred by an air strike or an assassination here and there. They will remain firmly on their positions, and will not abandon the battlefield or the place under any circumstances. This goal is unachievable.
These are just illusions that you live in your imagination; you are engaging in sheer adventurism, and at any moment, you can make a serious error in Syria that you will regret bitterly. […]
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 