Syria’s Transitional Prime Minister, Hinting at Definitive Break With Iran, Calls for Refugees To Return to Their Homeland

The blame game in Syria has begun. In comments reported on the Iranian regime’s official news agency, IRNA, Iran’s so-called “supreme leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said “there should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the product of a joint American and Zionist plan.” In a pointed reference to Turkey, he added that “a neighboring government of Syria plays, has played, and is playing an obvious role in this regard.”Earlier Reuters reported that the coalition of Islamist groups that toppled the Assad regime had notified Turkey, which supported some anti-Assad groups — including the Syrian National Army — of its plan six months before the offensive. The rebels launched a lightning offensive into government-controlled territory on November 27, by November 30 had captured Aleppo, and by December 8 had entered Damascus. They reportedly received tacit consent from Ankara, though that has been denied by the Turkish foreign ministry. For Tehran’s hardline Islamist leader, however, “the main conspirator, mastermind, and command center are in America and the Zionist regime. We have evidence. This evidence leaves no room for doubt.”What is not in any doubt is that Syria’s transitional government is keeping its erstwhile ally Iran at bay. In an interview with Al Jazeera, the prime minister of Syria’s new transitional government, Mohammed al-Bashir, said that after Assad’s ouster it is time for people to “enjoy stability and calm.”Mr. Bashir, who previously headed the rebel administration at Idlib in northwestern Syria, has been tasked by the Islamist group Hayat Tahir al-Sham and its allies with governing the country until March 2025. At Damascus on Tuesday, he chaired a meeting with members of the transitional government as well as some members of Assad’s former cabinet to discuss and assign portfolios.The calm he evoked is something that Iran never gave Syria. By propping up a dictator and turning the country into an entrepot for guns and worse pointed at the region’s only democracy, Israel, the mullahs diverted Assad from governing as an independent actor and exposed the country to various efforts by Jerusalem to rid Syria of many of its lethal weapons — including some aspirational ones. That may be one reason why Mr. Bashir appears to be throwing ice on any possibility of continuing a close relationship with Tehran. This could be despite a warning from Prime Minister Netanyahu that if the new government “allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria, or permits the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or if it attacks us — we will respond forcefully, and we will exact a heavy price.”Part of the reason is also that, thanks to Mr. Al-Assad but also in no small part to Iran, Syria is today a shattered country. There is evident exasperation as well as sincerity in Mr. Bashir’s remarks to a gamut of international press this week. He told Italy’s Corriere della Sera that it is a top priority to “bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are scattered around the world. Their human capital and experience will help restart the country.”“My appeal goes out to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has regained its pride and dignity. Come back. We need to rebuild, to get our country on its feet again, and we need everyone’s help.” Many Syrians are already on the way back. When asked by that newspaper’s correspondent at Damascus about speculation that he is open to peace with Israel but not with Hezbollah, Russia, or Iran, Mr. Bashir declined to answer.In the meantime the HTS leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, told Britain’s Sky News that “People are exhausted from war. So the country isn’t ready for another one and it’s not going to get into another one.” He added that “The source of our fears was from the Iranian militias, Hezbollah, and the [Assad] regime.” In a statement that indicates he is on the same page as the new prime minister, he added that “The country will be rebuilt.”

Syria’s Transitional Prime Minister, Hinting at Definitive Break With Iran, Calls for Refugees To Return to Their Homeland

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