Indeed, it cannot.
“Editorials In Pakistani Dailies: ‘Syrian Mujahideen… Will Not Hesitate To Invade Israel’; ‘The Rolling Of Jewish Tanks Inside Syria Hours After Assad Fled Must Be Repulsed,'” MEMRI, December 23, 2024:
Following the opposition victory over the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria and the fall of the Damascus, many dailies in Sunni-majority Muslim countries and elsewhere have expressed support for the transitional government in Syria. However, the publications note that the United States and Israel are in a position to play a major role in the new regional order in the Middle East, while Russia and Iran are not.[1]
Following are excerpts from editorials in three Pakistani dailies on the fall of Al-Assad. They state, among other points, that autocratic rulers such as Al-Assad did not learn from the fate of Saddam Hussein, Hosni Mubarak, or Muammar Al-Qaddafi. They also observe that Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani could potentially play a moderate role in a future government.
A screenshot of the December 11, 2024 editorial in Roznama Islam.
“Netanyahu, Appearing To Try To Be Happy And Satisfied, Must Be Greatly Troubled At This Time Because He Knows How Important It Was For Israel To Have ‘A Harmless Enemy’ Or Enemy-Like Friend Like Bashar Al-Assad In Syria”
Following are excerpts from an editorial, titled: “Revolution In Syria And Israel’s Bafflement,” published by the Urdu daily, Roznama Islam.[2]
“Netanyahu, appearing to try to be happy and satisfied, must be greatly troubled at this time because he knows how important it was for Israel to have ‘a harmless enemy’ or enemy-like friend like Bashar Al-Assad in Syria – and how dangerous the formation of a freedom-loving government, representing the real Syrian people, will be [for Israel] in the neighborhood.
“This is the reason that Israel is using its full force to carry out aggressive actions in Syria at this time, and according to media reports, its top priority is to weaken Syria’s air power, because air superiority is the weapon through which Israel has continued its aggression in Gaza. The U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has advised Netanyahu to wrap up the war in Gaza, and Netanyahu himself has spoken of approaching a deal in exchange for the prisoners, which, according to some analysts, indicates that Israel is now worried more about Syria than it is about Gaza.
“The new [transitional] government of Syria has so far avoided responding directly to Israel because the real issue for it at present is to take control of the administration of the country. Yet, if Israel does not stop its aggression, the possibility cannot be rejected that the Syrian mujahideen, descending from the Golan Heights, will not hesitate to invade Israel, and Israel will face a war that could be far more dangerous than it expects….
Following are excerpts from an editorial titled, “Syria’s Future,” published by Dawn, Pakistan’s oldest English-language newspaper:[3]
“As Bashar Al-Assad boarded a plane for exile in Moscow, the police state his family had ruled for over five decades swiftly crumbled….
“Israel, moreover, is quite pleased to see the back of Mr. Assad, as Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the event as a ‘historic day.’ On the other hand, Russia has lost perhaps its closest ally in the Arab world, whereas a central pillar of Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ has fallen….
Kepha says
Well, maybe the “Army of Martyrs for the Liberation of al-Quds” will become just an army of dead “martyrs” somewhere in the vicinity of the Golan Heights and Mt. Hermon.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Easy for them to say, since they are separated from Israel by 3 big countries
Maybe the HTS representatives in Islamabad, once they get their credentials, should contact them and point out a few things:
➤ They haven’t inherited a military: Israel destroyed it before it could come under HTS control
➤ They are still way weaker than Hamas or Hizbullah, much less Iran – all of whom got battered by Israel
Besides, Israeli “aggression” in Syria has ended. On day 1, Israel destroyed their military, and moved its troops into the buffer zones, but beyond that, the only thing Israel has been doing has been stopping Iran from connecting w/ Hizbullah. HTS has no reason to attack Israel even within Syria, particularly since they’ve openly stated that they hate Iran and have broken off diplomatic relations w/ Teheran
St Croix says
Eventually. I’m sure it’s in their plans, down the road.
JimJFox says
Same old same… tough talk and absolutely nothing to back it up with.