Ahmed al-Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim, is the new head of the Syrian government, having sent Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Moscow in early December. During the Syrian civil war, Iran was Assad’s greatest ally, sending him both weapons and money to fight the Sunni rebels. As an Alawite — the Alawis being a sect of Shi’a Islam — Assad’s alliance with Iran made perfect sense. And al-Sharaa and his fellow Sunnis now in power in Syria will neither forgive nor forget all the support Shi’a Iran gave to their murderous arch-enemy Bashar al-Assad.
When the Israelis attacked Iran on June 13, and continued to attack the Iranians for their 12-day war. Al-Sharaa, sitting in Damascus, must have been pleased. More on Al-Sharaa’s reaction can be found here: “‘Every blow to Iran is a benefit’: Why Syria allowed Israel bypass its airspace to strike Iran,” by Maya Cohen, Jerusalem Post, June 26, 2025:
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa did not interfere in the Israeli operation in Iran for several reasons, most prominent of them is that the strikes benefited his newly formed regime, University of Haifa Professor Amatzia Baram argued in an interview with Maariv, published Thursday.
When Israeli planes crossed Iranian skies for 12 days through Syria, Tehran closely monitored the operation, as did the office of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Syrian leader, in Damascus. According to Baram, the conclusions drawn by the Syrian leader could help stabilize our northern border for the years to come.
“If I were in al-Sharaa’s place, I would tell my people that even if I could make it difficult for the Israel Air Force, I have no interest in doing so,” Baram said, explaining the new Syrian thinking. “I have an interest in the Israelis attacking Iran as much as possible.”
The Syrian interest is clear: Any blow to Iran weakens the largest strategic rival of the new regime in Damascus. “Every blow to Iran is pure benefit to al-Sharaa’s regime,” Baram asserted, explaining why the Syrians would not interfere with the Israeli operation, even if they had the capability to do so.
Beyond the geopolitical interest, the Israeli operation taught al-Sharaa two key lessons about Israeli capabilities.
The first concerns the operational range of the Israeli air force. “The fact that Israel can maintain a continuous air presence over Iranian territory for 12 days, almost 2,000 kilometers away, uninterrupted,” Baram emphasizes. “This is something al-Sharaa now knows, understands, and internalizes.”
The second lesson relates to Israel’s intelligence capabilities. The operation showed how Israel can strike precisely and deeply into enemy territory. “The fact that Israel can eliminate all the senior Iranian military leadership within two or three days, and then strike the most important Revolutionary Guard bases,” Baram says, “illustrates the depth of intelligence achievements.”
The most impressive aspect is the surgical precision of the actions. “They reach their apartments, 2,000 or 1,500 kilometers away, strike the apartment, and kill the senior scientist or officer,” Baram described. “I imagine that al-Sharaa also noted this down in the notebook he keeps in the left pocket of his military uniform.”
Baram’s comment slyly reinforces the belief that Israeli intelligence knows everything, by noting that al-Sharaa has a “notebook that he keeps in the left pocket of his military uniform.”
After Amatzia Baram’s piece was published, an Iranian plot to assassinate al-Sharaa, using members of Hezbollah, was uncovered. Of course, had the plot succeeded, Iran would not be able to “return Syria to their sphere of influence.” They would instead face the full fury of the Sunni Arab world — the Saudis, the Egyptians, the Emiratis, the Kuwaitis.
The Houthis are still holding on, but their volleys of drones and missiles toward Israel are much reduced in number, and close to 95% of those they do launch are being intercepted.
Al-Sharaa is no doubt pleased at all the damage the IDF has done to the military might of Shi’a Iran. No doubt his only regret is that that under American pressure, the IDF stopped battering Iran when it still had three-to-four days’ worth of targets it had planned to hit in Tehran. Al-Sharaa hopes the IDF will get a chance to finish the job.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I just wonder – does Ahmed al-Shara’a hate the islamic regime in Iran enough that he’d support regime change there, even if the result is a secular regime in Tehran and a complete exposure of the collapse of islam amongst the Iranian population?
If the answer is yes, he’d have a new enemy w/ IS-Khorasan, which includes Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Pakistan & India. (Not to be confused w/ historic Khorasan, which was parts of northeast Iran, northwest Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Western Uzbekistan
abu taleb says
I think he just wants to keep the power in Syria, and if possible expand it to Iran or other areas. A weak Iran means the threat from Syrian Shia groups or other groups backed by Iran will be less.
Islam is just about how to grab power and wealth for oneself at the expense of others. Islam does not teach to love people, it teaches how to urge people to rob and kill non muslims among others and control the muslims with strict rules and severe punishment. And the elites will get the most benefit.
Wellington says
Sunni versus Shiite “dynamics.” Has been going on for some 1400 years with no cessation in sight.
How tedious and only of importance because so many human beings remain followers of Mo’s warped creed.
Damn.
Taffy says
And Israel temporarily benefits from the Shia/ Suni “dynamics.”
I may be oversimplifying the dispute, but the Shias believe that those in charge must be direct descendants of Muhammad, and the Sunis believe that an elected council should decide who was in charge.
In any event, when they fight each other, it takes a burden off of Israel for a while.
Tim gallagher says
If only the lot of them, Sunnis, Shias and all the other branches of evil, barbaric islam would wipe one another out, what a far better and more peaceful human race we would see. Islam is a satanically evil movement. I suppose the evil aztec religion had different branches as well. Good riddance to all of them. Same for this poisonous creed called Islam.
Billy says
Islam and Islam’s Muslims, Sunni and Shia, are enemies of ALL Non-Muslims as taught in Islam’s Quran(Quran 9:5, 29,111,etc.). Allah in Quran 5:51 says, “O you who have believed[Muslims], DO NOT TAKE the Jews and the Nasara(Christians) as friends. They are friends to one another. And whoever among you takes them as friends, so surely he is of them. Surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.”
Allah’s hateful, totalitarian Islam, a Terrorist-Criminal Enterprise and a Murderous-Demonic Cult of Believers, Terrorists for Allah, continually fund, promote, and practice ideological subversion, propaganda, bigotry, discrimination, deceit, mass murder, supremacy, segregation, hatred, incitement to violence, genocide, and terrorism as taught in Islamic Law, Sharia, and in Islam’s Quran(Quran 9:41, 88; 5:35, etc.). Allah in Qur’an 8:39 says, “And engage in war with them[Non-Muslims] until there will not be sedition and the religion will be completely to Allah…” Hence, Muslim actions should be legally challenged with a multi-faceted force of Western Laws like Muslims wield against Americans and Westerners via Tax Exempt Organizations, the Media and Hollywood, Foreign Funding, etc. because Islam violates and is incompatible with Western Laws(Quran 9:5,29, 111; 49:15; 60:4 etc.).
Like a Foreign Terrorist Organization(FTO) designated by the USA Secretary of State, Islam functions as a MUSLIM TERRORIST ORGANIZATION(MTO) fighting against Non-Muslims and NOT A PEACEFUL religion under Western Law because Islam funds, teaches, and promotes Terrorist Criminal Organizations with Muslims as Terrorists for Allah(Quran 9:5,29, 111; 49:15 etc.).
Allah’s demoniacal Islam, a hateful Antichrist Ideology, is using Western Freedoms and Laws against Non-Muslims to conquer Non-Muslims under Islamic Rule. Non-Muslims should legally designate Islam as a Muslim Terrorist Organization(MTO) where Mosques, Muslim Schools, Islamic Centers, Sharia Courts, and Muslim Organizations are banned because of their incitement of segregation and discrimination to fight back against ISLAMIZATION, Muslim subjugation, and tyrannical violence(Quran 4:65; 9:5,29,111; 60:4; 98:6-7 and more).
Sahih Bukhari 3126 says, “… the Prophet said, He who fights so that Allah’s Word(ie. Islam) should be superior, fights for Allah’s Cause.” Allah in Quran 9:111 says, “Surely Allah has purchased from the believers[Muslims] their souls and their money so that they may have the garden[Heavenly Paradise]. They engage in war for the sake of Allah[ie. Allah’s Cause), so they kill and are killed…”.
Under Islam and Islamic Law, Muslims have the Legal Right and the Quranic Duty to terrorize Non-Muslims because neglecting this QURANIC DUTY is a CRIME against tyrannical Allah. Jihad means warfare against Non-Muslims to ESTABLISH ISLAM’S RELIGION AS SUPREME(Quran 3:115, 151; 9:5, 29, 111; Muslim Law Manual: “Reliance of the Traveller”, o9.0 and more).
More specifically, Islam, a terroristic-totalitarian way of life, is a Muslim Terrorist Ideology and Murderous, Criminal Enterprise of: incitement, intolerance, continuous war, discrimination, segregation, slavery, supremacy, genocide, polygamy, propaganda, deceit, hatred, sedition, rape, terrorism, and violence against all Non-Muslims as taught in the Quran(Quran 2:208,216; 4:65, 89,95, 115; 5:14,64; 8:12,39,60, 74; 9:5,21,29,36, 41,49, 73,88, 111,123; 21:92; 49:15; 60:4; 61:9-11; 62:6; 89:14; etc.).
somehistory says
“Trump administration revokes terrorism designation of new Syrian leader’s group”
“The Trump administration is revoking the terrorism designation of a group led by Syria’s new president as part of a broader U.S. engagement with the transitional government since the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad late last year.
In a statement released on Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move, which will take effect on Tuesday, “recognizes the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government” under President Ahmad al-Sharaa.”
There is more in the article.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-administration-revokes-terrorism-designation-of-new-syrian-leader-s-group/ar-AA1I8AIO?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=55f9b78cc485405087d8611a5af6e87a&ei=75