David Hearst writes:

The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government thwarted an Israeli plan to divide Syria into three blocks in order to sever its ties with Iran and Hezbollah, according to regional security sources briefed about the plot.

Israel planned to establish military and strategic ties with the Kurds in the northeast and the Druze in the south, leaving Assad in power in Damascus under Emirati funding and control.

This would have also served to limit Turkey’s influence in Syria to Idlib and the northwest, the stronghold of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkish-backed rebel groups whose lightning offensive earlier this month led to Assad’s downfall.

The plan was hinted at in a speech by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar a month ago in which he said Israel needed to reach out to the Kurds and the Druze in Syria and Lebanon, adding that there were “political and security aspects” that needed to be considered.

“We must look at developments in this context and understand that in a region where we will always be a minority we can have natural alliances with other minorities,” Saar said.

But the plan was overtaken by events when forces loyal to Assad crumbled in Homs and Hama, leaving the road to Damascus open. [Continue reading…]

Today I visited Yarmouk camp, which was once the largest Palestinian community outside Palestine. I once lived here, and these streets were full of people. The Assad regime did this. Remember this the next time you hear that the fall of the Assad regime was bad for Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/TlHcn9OnBT

— Shane Bauer (@shane_bauer) December 22, 2024