Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered a dramatic address to the nation, accusing the United States and Israel of orchestrating the coup that rocked Syria. Khamenei’s comments on television state suggest these two countries were key in the downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with one of the country’s neighbors reportedly providing vital assistance.
These accusations by Khamenei come at a time when Israel has intensified its military preparations in the Golan Heights, Israel advancing its forces in Golan Heights and, a strategic front separating the two neighbors. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz laid out a plan Wednesday for a “sterile protective zone” in southern Syria amid tensions as IDF units were sent to the region.
There is a heated debate over the involvement of neighboring states, particularly those outside the state system who are part of the wider Middle East. Khamenei’s comment feeds into the decades-old narrative of a US-Israel axis trying to define the regional stage, with Syria at the heart of escalating proxy clashes.
But recent developments, especially the loss of allies like Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces and Hezbollah, have left the Syrian military much weakened, political analysts have pointed out. The Syrian army is failing even to defend itself, let alone cope with an influx of foreign fighters, terrorists, and extremist groups stretching its limited forces even thinner. Israel has been stepping up its operations in Syria, despite the strife in the country since 2011, with speculations that Israel’s attacks are only designed to confront Iranian authority and stop territorial violence to disperse the country.
The evolving role of the US, Israel, and other players surrounding this crisis sheds light on how the dynamics of the long-spanning Syrian conflict as well as the Middle Eastern geopolitics are changing.
According to The Guardian, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says developments in Syria are a ‘joint American and Zionist plan’ Mohammed al-Bashir chairs new Syrian cabinet meeting.
According to devdiscourse, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accuses the United States, Israel, and potentially Turkey of orchestrating the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He claims that this move aims to weaken the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’ and strengthen Western influence in the Middle East.
