On Sunday, 8 November, Israel-U.S.-backed Syrian Rebels (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled President of Syria Bashar Al-Assad’s government in a swift move. Now the rebel leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani is the president of the Interim government while Assad has taken refuge in Russia. Now Israel is occupying Syria since the rebels are unwilling to go to war with Israel.
Bashar Al-Assad’s family ruled Syria for more than 6 decades, during which the country suffered various turmoil including the civil war for the last 13 years. However, Assad was one of the most popular Arab leaders in the Middle East for his work until the US-Israel-led regime change started to unfold. Since then, it has been a dark chapter of war, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, devastated cities, and crippled the economy under international sanctions.
For the last decade, Assad’s government was known for its notoriously widespread repression and the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands. Now it is dissolved almost overnight. The internet has seen videos circulating showing Syrians celebrating and reuniting with their loved ones who were imprisoned by the Assad regime. Along with the Syrians, many countries in the Islamic world also celebrated the victory of the Rebels, but no one is more happy than the U.S. government and the Israelis.
As part of the greater Israel project, Israel, and the U.S. have been working behind the scenes while Turkey directly backed the Syrian Rebels with support rooted in Sunni factions. Israel-U.S. led a regime change operation to hurt Iran’s ability to influence its regional allies. Besides, it also jeopardizes Russia’s Mediterranean naval base which will significantly reduce their influence in the Arab world. But particularly for Israel, the game plan will give massive benefits to its greater Israel project.
However, it will raise hopes that the millions of refugees, were displaced for over a decade in camps across Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. Finally, they might return home if Israel is willing—Israel has already started to occupy Syrian territories. The ICC convicted war criminal and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has also indicated their plan for Syria. The Syrian Rebels led by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Golani, however, announced plans for a transitional governing body with executive powers.
