JERUSALEM—Syrian Islamic extremists have taken control of large parts of the war-torn country's second city, Aleppo, raising serious new questions for the U.S. government about its policies in the highly volatile Syrian Arab Republic. There is.
“I think it would be alarming if some anti-Assad forces were to gain access to sensitive sites in Syria. There have been reports. There are other military assets as well,” Jason Brodsky, policy director for the Iran Anti-Nuclear Alliance, told FOX News Digital.
He added: “Given the background that some of these groups were previously affiliated with al-Qaeda, this poses serious problems and could have implications for Israel's national security.” said.
According to reports, Benjamin Netanyahu's government held a meeting on Friday night to discuss the latest news emanating from Syria.
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A vehicle bursts into flames after an airstrike against opposition fighters in Aleppo, Syria, late Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Al-Sayed)
Former President Barack Obama signed a widely criticized deal with the Syrian regime's dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2013 to eliminate its chemical weapons program. U.S. officials later said Assad was likely in possession of some chemical weapons. President Assad has repeatedly used poison gas against his people to quell a democratic uprising against his regime in 2011.
Approximately 900 US troops are currently stationed in Syria as part of the mission to defeat Islamic State. Middle East experts say the US military presence in Syria is also helping to blunt the Iranian regime's attempts to absorb parts of the country.
The capture of much of Aleppo, a city of 2 million people, is a stunning military defeat for Assad and his allies, the US-designated terrorist movement, Hezbollah, Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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But Brodsky warned that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the collection of Islamic extremist groups that secured victory in Aleppo, is also very dangerous to the United States.
“We must not forget that one of these organizations, HTS, is designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. I think it emboldened the forces.''It's not only a loss for Hezbollah, but also a loss for the Revolutionary Guards. [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] Losses testing the Quds Force's structure in Syria.
A Syrian opposition fighter takes a photo of a comrade stepping on a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo early Saturday morning, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Al-Sayed) (AP Photo/Ghaith Al-Sayed)
“Let's not forget that Israel decapitated the 2000th Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, which oversees operations in the Levant, as well as other key commanders in the Syrian theater. “This is a loss of network. Especially when Hezbollah is under such stress, the Revolutionary Guards are at a disadvantage.”
The US government has designated both the Iranian regime and the Syrian Arab Republic as state sponsors of terrorism.
Philip Smith, an expert on Iranian regime proxies and Syria at the Atlantic Council, told Fox News Digital that “Assad is sending a fighting force or has an elite, functioning fighting force.'' If you think there is, remember that almost every attack is successful.” Pro-Assad factions have been executed by Iran and Iranian proxies or Russia since 2013 and 2015, respectively. ”
“HTS is an al-Qaeda offshoot with ties to Turkey. Their ultimate goal is to create a Taliban-like society with a few tweaks,” Smith said.
On November 27, 2024, in Aleppo, Syria, as clashes between the Bashar al-Assad regime and the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) continue, rebels attack several villages in the western countryside. was suppressed. (Kasim Ranma/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I don't think the United States is in a position to say we are unwilling in this matter. They attacked us on 9/11,” he said, noting that HTS has al-Qaeda origins. Ta. But Smith pointed out that the Assad regime is two sides of the same dangerous coin for U.S. interests. Regarding Assad and HTS, he said, “I don't think either of them are good examples. Assad is very anti-American. He allowed Hezbollah in Lebanon to metastasize and used Sunni jihadist organizations.'' “We have allowed Al Qaeda to operate,” he added. I'm going to Iraq to kill Americans. ”
A U.S.-allied Kurdish coalition called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is also stationed in Aleppo. The SDF played a key role in defeating Islamic State in Syria.
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Combatants enter Rashidin district on the outskirts of Aleppo on a motorbike amid heavy smoke during fighting, November 29, 2024. As Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and their allies continue their offensive against government forces in Aleppo province. (Photo by Bakr Alkasem/AFP via Getty Images)
Kurdish studies expert Vladimir van Wilgenburg discussed the SDF and the Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units) on FOX News Digital. He said: “There are two Kurdish-majority areas in Aleppo city under the control of the Kurdish-led SDF/YPG, and Tir Rifaat in northern Aleppo, which includes Afrin (under Turkish control). A significant number of refugees from the area live there,'' he said. For the first time, Russia also carried out airstrikes in Aleppo, killing several civilians and rebels. Fighter plane. ”
“HTS' growing influence also threatens the YPG's presence in northern Aleppo,” said Van Wilgenburg, co-author of a 2021 book with Dr. Michael Knights on the SDF-US partnership against the Islamic State. It brings about that,” he continued. The YPG/SDF withdrew from Nouble and Zahra without a fight, having moved in after the regime and Iranian-backed militias had previously taken control of those towns. ”
FILE – A February 25, 2019 file photo published by the official website of Iran's Supreme Leader's Office shows Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei (right) greeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Tehran, Iran. There is. On November 13, 1970, a young air force officer, Hafez Assad, staged a bloodless coup. Fifty years later, his family still rules Syria. The country has been devastated by a decade of civil war that has killed around 500,000 people, displaced half the population and virtually destroyed the economy. But Hafez's son, Bashar al-Assad, is undoubtedly in control of what remains. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran, via AP, File)
According to Iran International News Agency, General Hossein Daghighi, assistant to the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said on Saturday: “The enemy is unable to take any effective action because the resistance network is systematically organized. Attempts to intervene resulted in their hands being severed, leaving an indelible mark on history.
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the western outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, Thursday, November 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Album)
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Syrian regime forces have announced a “relocation operation” in Aleppo. “Due to the large number of terrorists and the large number of fronts, our military is forced to carry out redeployment operations aimed at absorbing attacks, protecting the lives of civilians and soldiers, and strengthening our defense lines to prepare for counterattacks. It became,” he said. Syrian army.
According to the Syrian army, “terrorist groups were able to penetrate large parts of the Aleppo city neighborhood over the past few hours,” resulting in “dozens of our troops killed and others injured.”
The Assad regime has massacred more than 500,000 people in Syria since 2011. The United Nations has since stopped tracking the death toll in Syria.
