Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in Tehran, Iran May 30, 2024. (Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA via Reuters)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad asked Israel for help in confronting the advance of opposition Islamist rebel groups besieging his forces, Saudi newspaper Elaph reported Monday. Describing it as “a notable development,” Elaph cited an intelligence official who confirmed Assad’s request for assistance against the opposition groups.
The intelligence official told Elaph that the message was relayed to an Israeli security agency through an Assad ally in Europe.
The official said that Israel responded by stating it was not particularly concerned with what was happening in Syria, but that it would first require the expulsion of all Iranian elements , including militias from Syria, before considering any assistance.
Syrian opposition groups, many directly or indirectly funded by external actors, including Turkey, launched a large-scale offensive several days ago aimed at recapturing Aleppo and its villages. The groups, led by Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) [a Sunni Islamist faction], managed to seize control of most of Aleppo before advancing toward other Syrian cities and towns like Hama, before being halted by Assad’s regrouped forces with support from Russian fighter jets.
Syrian government forces have fully withdrawn from the areas around Aleppo, which are now under opposition control. According to reports, the Syrian army was not heavily present in Hama before the offensive, with Iranian elements and proxy militias maintaining the largest presence in the area.
According to the security official, Assad is relying on Israel’s predictable security stance toward his regime, in contrast to the uncertain position of opposition groups regarding Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has stated that Israel views the Kurds as natural allies in the region.
“The Kurdish people are a great nation, one of the great nations without political independence,” Sa’ar said at the handover ceremony marking his assuming the office of foreign minister. “They are our natural ally.” Sa’ar has also said that Israel “must reach out and strengthen our ties with them.”
So far, Kurdish resistance groups have largely focused their attention on combating Islamist rebel groups that threaten them and on providing security and stability in Kurdish-dominated areas against Turkish-funded opposition groups such as the Syrian National Army (SNA) and HTS.
At press time, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led opposition group, announced it had begun an operation aimed at capturing seven villages on the east bank of the Euphrates River that had been held previously by Assad with the help of Iranian militias.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is “ constantly following ” the situation in Syria and taking action to protect Israel’s interests.
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