JERUSALEM—President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday spoke for the first time about Syria's Islamist uprising against the country's dictator Bashar al-Assad, who is holed up in his Damascus palace.
The Islamic extremist movement reached the outskirts of Syria's capital Damascus on Saturday, preparing to storm key strongholds of the Assad regime.
“Syria is a mess, but it's not our friend. The United States should have nothing to do with this. This is not our fight,” President Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social. “Let me do it! Don't get involved!'' he warned. ”
He said he had a “red line” to launch a military offensive against Assad in 2013 after the Syrian strongman carried out a shocking large-scale chemical weapons attack against civilians, killing more than 1,400 people. Former President Obama was pursued for failing to comply.
Syria's Islamic rebels catch Assad, Putin and the Iranian regime off guard, creating new Middle East headache
President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News in October that he expected President Biden to pardon his son Hunter. (Fox News)
Critics accused the then-Obama administration of reneging on its promise to take military action against Assad for crimes against humanity.
“This is where former President Obama refused to keep his promise to uphold the red line in the sand, Russia intervened and all hell broke out. But now they are likely being kicked out like Assad himself. and may actually be the best thing that can happen to them. There was no great benefit for Russia in Syria other than making Obama look really stupid,” President Trump wrote.
He added: “In an unprecedented move, the Syrian rebels have taken full control of a number of cities in a highly coordinated offensive and are now on the outskirts of Damascus, clearly making a huge move towards overthrowing Assad. Russia, because they are tied to Ukraine and have lost over 600,000 soldiers there, will not stop this literal march through Syria, which they have been defending for years. It seems like I can't.”
Also on Saturday, the Israeli military, which is on high alert, said, “An attack was recently carried out by armed groups on the United Nations camp in the Hader district of Syria.The Israel Defense Forces are currently assisting the United Nations forces.'' “There is,” he announced. repel attacks. ”
Russia and Syria bomb Syrian Islamic rebels after surprise invasion
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)
The Israel Defense Forces added: “We have deployed reinforcements to the Golan Heights area and will continue to operate to protect the State of Israel and its people.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the Turkish Secretary of State regarding the situation in Syria. Turkey is a major supporter of the Islamic coalition that aims to overthrow the Assad regime.
The US-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist former al-Qaeda affiliate that is part of the rebel group, is the main force that has secured large swathes of Syrian territory in recent days.
“Secretary Blinken today met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss developments in the situation in Syria,” U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “I emphasized the importance of this,” he said.
A rebel fighter covers his ears as a multi-barreled rocket launcher fires on regime forces on the northern outskirts of the west-central Syrian city of Hama on December 4, 2024. Syrian government forces launched a counterattack against Islamist-led rebels around Syria. After suffering a series of staggering losses further north, they reached the main city of Hama on December 4, according to war monitors. (Bakr Al Qasem/AFP via Getty Images)
Mr. Miller continued, “The Secretaries discussed the need for a political solution to the conflict in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Secretary Blinken also addressed Foreign Minister Fidan on the election of Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu to the OSCE. I congratulate him,” he added. [Organization for Security and Co-operation] The Secretary-General looks forward to continued cooperation in the region. ”
The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2254 in 2015, calling for a ceasefire, UN-led elections, and a new constitution. President Assad refused to implement the resolution.
August 31, 2013: President Obama and Vice President Biden make a statement on Syria in the White House Rose Garden in Washington. (AP)
The State Department has designated the Assad regime as a state sponsor of terrorism. Philip Smith, an expert on Iranian regime proxies and Syria who works for the Atlantic Council, told Fox News Digital regarding President Trump's comments, “I don't see a major departure from his previous policy points. is sticking to its course,” he said. what is happening? “
President Trump's message [the] Assad's government and the HTS coalition “wish them both the best of luck. That's essentially what it is,” Smith said. He called Trump's post a “statement of reality” regarding the Syrian civil war.
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FILE – This Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013, in a citizen journalism file image provided by Arvene's United Media office, authenticated based on its content and other AP reporting, the Chemical Weapons Investigation Team Members are taking samples from the sand near the chemical weapons. Part of a missile that is likely to be one of the chemical rockets, according to activists, in the Damascus countryside in Aintermah, Syria. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 11, 2013, for its work in eliminating the scourge that has plagued generations, from World War I to the battlefields of Syria. was awarded. (AP Photo/United Media Office of Irveen, File) (AP)
Asked if he thought Assad would use chemical weapons against Islamic rebels, Smith said: “I wouldn't be surprised if he did. There's a risk of that.” Smith expects a little more anarchy in the battle for Damascus. “Different factions will be vying for leadership.”
“I think there's graffiti on the walls. His mobilization attempts have not been successful,” Smith said, considering the blitzkrieg of major Syrian cities like Aleppo and Hama last week. There is this fog of inertia hanging over the Assad regime. Their mobilization and actions clearly show internal corruption, and we never expected the paper tiger attitude to go this far.”
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