U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made bold statements on the social media platform Truth, alleging that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country and criticizing Russia for its involvement in Syria.
Donald Trump © Mena Today
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made bold statements on the social media platform Truth, alleging that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country and criticizing Russia for its involvement in Syria.
"Assad is no longer there. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, no longer wished to shield him," Trump wrote. He added that Russia "had no reason to be there in the first place" and suggested the Kremlin has lost interest in Syria due to its focus on Ukraine.
According to Trump, Russia is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, where "nearly 600,000 Russian soldiers are wounded or dead" in a conflict he described as unnecessary and potentially endless.
He also argued that "Russia and Iran are both weakened"—Russia by the economic and human toll of Ukraine, and Iran by "Israel's successes on the battlefield."
The United States has encouraged Syria to consider sending forces into eastern Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah, but Damascus is reluctant to embark on such a mission for fear of being sucked into the war in the Middle East and inflaming sectarian tensions, five people briefed on the matter said.
Syrian authorities have banned alcohol from restaurants and bars in Damascus, one of the clearest moves yet by the Islamist-led government towards enforcing conservative ways since Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad 15 months ago.
As Hezbollah's war with Israel escalates and Lebanon descends deeper into crisis, one regional actor has made its position unmistakably clear: Syria under Ahmed al-Sharaa is not Bashar al-Assad's Syria, and Hezbollah should not mistake the two.
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