President-elect Donald Trump commented for the first time on the Syrian Islamist revolt against Bashar al-Assad, the country’s dictator who is currently in his palace in Damascus.
The radical Islamist movement has now reached the suburbs of Damascus, with preparations underway to attack Assad’s main stronghold.
Using the social media platform Truth Social, Trump issued a warning stating, “Syria is facing turmoil, however, it is not our ally, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD STAY AWAY. THIS IS NOT OUR BATTLE. LET IT UNFOLD ON ITS OWN. DO NOT INTERFERE!”
He took former President Obama to task for failing to enforce his “red line” in 2013 to launch military strikes against Assad after the Syrian strongman executed a shocking mass chemical weapons strike on civilians, in which more than 1,400 people were killed.
The IDF added that it has deployed “reinforced forces in the Golan Heights area and will continue to operate in order to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Turkish counterpart on the situation in Syria. Turkey is the principal backer of the Islamist coalition seeking to topple the Assad regime.Â
The U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist former Al-Qaeda affiliate that is part of the rebel forces, is the key force that has secured large swaths of Syrian territory over the last few days.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that “Blinken spoke today with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss developments in Syria. Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of protecting civilians, including members of minority groups, across Syria.”
Miller added, “The Secretary discussed the need for a political solution to the conflict, consistent with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254. Secretary Blinken also extended his congratulations to Foreign Minister Fidan on the selection of Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu as the OSCEÂ [Organization for Security and Co-operation]Â Secretary General and looks forward to continued cooperation in the region.”
The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2254 in 2015, which called for a cease-fire, UN-run elections and a new constitution. Assad rejected the resolution’s implementation.Â
The State Department has classified Assad’s regime as a state-sponsor of terrorism. Phillip Smyth, an expert on Iranian regime proxy groups and Syria, who is with the Atlantic Council, told Fox News Digital regarding Trump’s comment, “I do not see a huge deviation from his previous policy points. He is staying the course. Realism with what is going on.”
Trump’s message to [the] Assad regime and the HTS coalition is “I wish them both luck. It is essentially that,” said Smyth. He termed Trump’s post a “statement of the reality” about the Syrian civil war.
When asked whether he thought Assad would use chemical weapons on the Islamist rebels, Smyth said, “It would not surprise me if he did. There is risk of it.” Smyth expects a bit more anarchy in the battle of Damascus. “You will have different factions wrestling for control.”
Given the lightening seizure of major Syrian cities such as Aleppo and Hama over the last week, Smyth said, “I think the writing is on the wall. His mobilization attempts have not been successful. There is this lackadaisical haze over the Assad regime. You can see internal corruption on full display in how they are mobilizing and acting. The rapid collapse says everything. There is a lot of paper tiger posture. There was no expectation that there would be an advance like this.”
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