Sat 18 May 2019:
When Iranian- and Hizbullah-backed forces joined hands with the Syrian regime to crush the Syrian opposition, their stated goal was to “liberate the Golan” and “pave the way to Jerusalem.” Today, over seven years later, it is clear beyond any doubt that these promises were nothing but empty slogans, used to deflect attention away from the real goal at hand: maintaining Bashar al-Assad’s rule at any cost.
The extent of damage and destruction that this so-called “Axis of Resistance” has brought upon the Syrian people is simply unfathomable. No terrorist organization in the world can even begin to be compared in its brutality to the callousness of Assad’s gangs, which indiscriminately killed thousands of innocent civilians.
These forces have been so proud of the Russian support they received that they gave Putin the affectionate nickname “Abu Ali,” which is used in Arabic to describe someone who is tough. Yet this “tough” partner is the very same person who colluded with Israel and protected Tel Aviv’s interests in Syria. It is Putin, after all, who safeguarded the right of Israeli warplanes to freely operate in Syrian airspace.
It is Putin who, similarly, insisted that Hizbullah and Iranian forces be kept away from the Israeli border. This did not seem to bother members of this axis, whose sole objective was to wreak havoc and weaken the Syrian opposition. They watched as Israel gained guarantees from the Russians time and again, enhancing its control in the Golan and its foothold in Syria.
We have seen Russian-provided missiles directed against Syrian citizens; not Israeli towns and cities. We’ve witnessed barrel bombs dropped from planes against Syrian refugees fleeing their homes; not against Israeli or American soldiers. This so-called “road to Jerusalem” is one big sham. It is a mere deception of the Arab people, meant to portray the Iranian militias and the Hizbullah fighters as defenders of the Syrian people.
In reality, they are their biggest enemies. Assad gave the Israelis two big gifts: first, control over the Golan Heights. Second, a front-row seat to a catastrophic war against his own people. Putin is neither his friend, nor his protector. He is a culprit in one of the biggest tragedies experienced by the Arab world. –Ali Amin
by ASAF ZILBERFARB
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