Misha Zand

Highly recommended conversation

Why Did Iran Allow Bashar al-Assad’s Downfall? Tehran may have assumed there would be opportunities to exploit in Syria’s likely instability in the future.

A lot of forgotten details in this piece. Excellent read.
carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

BREAKING:

Syrian opposition forces have entered the port city of Tartous, now at the Governorate Building:

"these institutions are ours, public workers will remain, we call on all to show restraint. Weapons will go to the army. we're going to build our army"

"The Syrian people are one"

What is Israel bombing Syria and taking new land??

Farsnews | دلایل عمده‌ای که منجر به سقوط دولت سوریه شد اینکه چطور یک گروه تروریستی می‌تواند در عرض چند روز، شهرهای بزرگ سوریه را تصرف و به سمت دمشق حرکت کند، موضوع عجیبی است که تنها کسانی می‌توانند آن را هضم کنند که با ساختار داخلی نظام سوریه آشنا باشند.

3. The Syrian government's trust in some of the promises made by foreign governments in the region IF it leaves power.

4. Foreign interventions and equipping terrorists inside and out side of the country.

farsnews.ir/Habib/173363...

Fars News, close to the RG in Iran, lists these four reasons for the fall of Assad:

1. The weakening of the army and their corruptions, and their lack of funding, motivation and strength.

2. People's lack of cooperation with the government (!) and the army, plus the economic situation.

🎯

Syria’s Assad Finds Himself Alone as Enemies Close In With rebels closing in on Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad sought help from his backers in Russia and Iran, and came away empty-handed.

Facing total collapse, Assad flew to Moscow then returned to the capital to meet the Iranian foreign minister, seeking aid from his longtime backers. He also appealed to Arab leaders, who in recent years had rekindled relations after years of shunning him
www.wsj.com/world/middle...

BREAKING:

HTS (The Military Operations Command):

"Heads of the intelligence branches in Damascus have completed arrangements with us to take control of the capital Damascus"

In Fight for Syria, a Battle for Domination of the Middle East In a region “already on fire,” analysts say, rebels’ advance toward Damascus is a barometer of the shifting power dynamics that also affect nations like Iran, Turkey, Russia and the United States.

“some of the strongest units, the 4th Armored Division & the Republican Guards, have long been stationed around Damascus with the idea of making it coup-proof. But lack of training and low salaries have taken their toll, with regular troops melting away..”
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/07/w...

Assad Was Disengaging From Iran, but His Next Steps Are Unclear In Damascus, it has recently felt like change was afoot, and after the fall of Aleppo anything could happen

Do read!

Earlier this year, after several high-ranking Iranian officials were killed in high-precision Israeli airstrikes during their visits to Damascus, Tehran sent its own investigators to find the breach which had to have come from the Syrians.

newlinesmag.com/argument/ass...

Elon Musk Met With Iran’s U.N. Ambassador, Iranian Officials Say The tech billionaire, a top adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump, was reported to have discussed ways to defuse tensions between Iran and the United States.

Breaking News: Elon Musk, a top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, met with Iran’s UN ambassador to discuss defusing Iranian-U.S. tensions during the next Trump term, two Iranian officials said.

Iran-kender: Eskalering i Mellemøsten er russisk roulette Militære analytikere og politikere vurderer, at konflikteskalering vil afvæbne iranske ambitioner i regionen. Det er en intellektuel falliterklæring.

I et oplæg i Politiken skriver jeg om faren ved at antage, at man kan skræmme Iran og landets regionale allierede ved at eskalere konflikten, som flere analytikere mener. Læs argumenterne her: politiken.dk/debat/debati...

Speaking of a potential regional escalation:

‘Airstrike kills Iran’s 'most influential' commander in Syria’

amwaj.media/article/insi...

Introduce me to a new platform that doesn’t sell my kidneys to a third party😩