Dec 06, 2024

Iran has blamed the United States and Ukraine for recent advances made by Syrian rebels in a surprise offensive against the Syrian government.

On Friday, the Iranian-state affiliated Mehr News Agency reported that Mojtaba Damirchiloo, an aide to Iran’s foreign minister, criticized Ukraine and the U.S. for supporting “terrorism” in Syria.

In particular, the report outlined how the Iranian official condemned “the illegal trade of weapons received from the United States by some Ukrainian officials and Ukraine’s support for listed terrorist groups in Syria.”

Referencing the use of Takfiri—or foreign militant groups—to operate in Syria against the Assad regime, Damirchiloo condemned the deployment of these fighters, which he said was leading to the destabilization of the West Asia region. He described this approach as an unethical policy that violates established principles and norms of international law.

The report stated that Damirchiloo called these actions “a blatant violation of international commitments related to the prevention and combat of terrorism and called for their immediate cessation.”

Newsweek has reached out to Damirchiloo for comment via email.

Syrian Rebel Advance

On Thursday, Syrian insurgents seized control of the central city of Hama after government forces retreated, marking another significant setback for President Bashar al-Assad. The advance comes just days after opposition fighters captured most of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city. Syrian military deployed additional troops and carried out airstrikes to regain control.

The offensive, spearheaded by the jihadi group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, has reignited the long-stagnant Syrian civil war. Their swift takeover of Aleppo, an ancient commercial center in the north, delivered a shocking blow to Assad’s forces and handed a major victory to his opponents.

Russian Support for Assad

Russia has supported the Assad regime since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, formally entering the conflict in 2015 to prop up the Syrian leader. The U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies has described the Russian move into the conflict as providing “decisive air power to Syrian and Iranian-backed ground forces,” and broadening Assad’s grip on territory in the country.

Since February 2022, Russia has been engaged in a war with Ukraine, with one expert having told Newsweek that the advancements by Syrian rebels could have aided Ukraine in this fight.

“Any level of Russian political, economic, or military bandwidth which is diverted from the conflict against Ukraine is beneficial to Ukraine,” said William Freer, a research fellow in national security at the U.K.-based think tank, the Council on Geostrategy.

“The impact however will likely be extremely limited,” Freer said. “The fighting in Ukraine is too important to the Kremlin.”

Hamas Vows Not to Take Sides

A senior Hamas official told Newsweek on Thursday that the Palestinian group would not take sides in the renewed battle between the Syrian government and a coalition of insurgents while other factions backed by Iran pledged their support for Assad.

“This is not our battle,” Hamas spokesperson and Political Bureau member Basem Naim told Newsweek. “Our battle is with the Zionist occupation, and our first goal is to liberate our country from colonialism.”

https://www.newsweek.com/syria-rebels-advacements-iran-blames-ukraine-1996642