Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
On November 29, Aleppo fell into the hands of an Islamist group from Idlib, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. It took just three days of fighting for the second largest city in Syria to fall to an invasion of Turkish-backed fighters.
Leaders of Arab countries were quick to call Damascus and pledge their support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Since 2011, some Arab world leaders have had stormy relationship with Assad at times, while others have always stood by Damascus. Much of that feeling of solidarity now is based on the realization that their country could next in line to be targeted by a foreign intervention using radical Islamic fighters.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed emphasised the UAE’s solidarity with Syria and its support in combating terrorism and extremism when he called Assad after the Aleppo invasion.
King Abdullah II of Jordan emphasised Jordan’s solidarity with Syria, reaffirming its support for Syria’s territorial unity, sovereignty, and stabilit
On Sunday, both Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held phone talks with their Syrian counterpart Bassam Sabbagh.
Safadi expressed Jordan’s concern over the developments in Syria, stressing the importance of eliminating terrorism.
Hussein said destabilizing the security and stability of Syria poses a threat to the security of Iraq and the region in general, urging regional cooperation to address security challenges and combat extremism.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty has reiterated Egypt’s unwavering support for the Syrian state and its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
During a telephone conversation with Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh, Abdelatty stressed the importance of Syria’s stability and security, with implications for the entire region. They discussed the support of the Syrian state within the Arab League.
On December 1, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The unplanned meeting was in response to the invasion of Aleppo.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been leading efforts to normalize ties with Assad, reinstating Syria to the Arab League and hosting the Syrian leader on rare trips abroad. After Aleppo’s fall, Assad called MBZ, with the UAE emphasizing a peaceful resolution to the conflict, while Syria highlighted counter-terrorism cooperation.
Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Dr. Ahmad Alderzi, the noted microbiologist and political activist, to gain more insight.
1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): On November 29, the industrial capital of Syria, Aleppo, was attacked and occupied by extremist Islamic terrorists supported by Turkiye. In your opinion, how did the terrorists manage to seize the city so quickly?
Ahmad Alderzi (AA): A combination of internal and external factors contributed to the easy fall of Aleppo. The internal factors relate to the severe exhaustion of the Syrian economy due to harsh Western sanctions on Syria, along with poor internal economic management, which reflected on the Syrian military’s capabilities and morale.
The external factors are linked to the international conflict on the Syrian scene, which is connected to what is happening in Ukraine, Gaza, southern Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq. The Western powers resumed their activities in training, moving, and leading the attack on Aleppo as part of an expansion strategy and pressure to overthrow Syria and force it out of the resistance axis. The aim is to ensure Israel’s security and dominance over the West Asian region after its troubled war in Gaza and southern Lebanon, and also to push Russia out of Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean. It is natural that the Syrian army cannot face Western technology while Russia is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.
Additionally, there was an element of deception experienced by both Russia and Iran from their partner Turkey in the Astana platform.
2. SS: President Erdogan has long wanted to seize Aleppo, and the terrorists wasted no time raising the Turkish flag over Aleppo Castle. In your opinion, is the Syrian Arab Army able to recover Aleppo?
AA: The Syrian army is not fighting only local Syrian factions, but also multinational, border-crossing armed groups led by American intelligence from behind the scenes. On the ground, there are Ukrainian, French, and Turkish intelligence agencies, supported by modern drones and control over communications. It is natural that the Syrian army cannot liberate Aleppo alone; it needs, as it did before, Russian, Iranian, Iraqi, and possibly Arab military capabilities to achieve this.
3. SS: We have seen in media reports the Arab support for President Bashar al-Assad in his war against terrorism. In your opinion, why do all Arab governments support Assad now?
AA: Arabs have rediscovered that relying on containing Turkey through economic cooperation and supporting it with investments did not prevent Turkey from expanding in Syria and changing its political geography, giving it a major regional role that threatens to alter the maps of the entire West Asia region. The second factor is Turkey’s use of radical Islamic organizations with extensions in Arab countries. If successful in Syria, these organizations would destabilize internal security in Arab countries. They have realized their mistake in previously meddling in Syria, which led all of them to line up with Syria to protect the security of their countries.
4. SS: Media reports indicate that there will be a meeting in Doha on December 7. In your opinion, will anything come out of this meeting?
AA: It is too early to reach a consensus at the Doha meeting before the military reality on the ground changes. The true objectives of the Turkish invasion of Aleppo, using Islamic organizations, do not allow for common understandings, as long as the United States and Israel are behind what happened in Aleppo, which aims to remove both Iran and Russia from Syria and the entire West Asia region. This would only change if the Turks yield to Russian, Iranian, and Arab pressures.
5. SS: President Bashar al-Assad has stated that the only way to deal with these terrorists is through force. In your opinion, does he have the military capability to defeat these groups?”
AA: When President Assad speaks about the use of force as the only option to deal with these organizations, he is speaking from the perspective of the international nature of the fight. Therefore, he does not rely solely on Syrian military capabilities, but rather on a regional and international alliance threatened by these groups, and not just on Syrian military power alone as it might seem.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist
