After five bloody years in Syria ... Russia turns against Iran and Assad

After five years of fighting to preserve Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, it appears that Russia is now inclined to get rid of its "notorious" agent, having grown more brutal and corrupt, and having demonstrated his inability - albeit formally - to pretend the establishment of a serious state , Which turned it into a burden Moscow prefers to get rid of. "

In these lines, the American Daily Beast, in an article by Jeremy Hodge, summarized the latest state of relations between Russia and the Assad regime, with Moscow feeling that Assad's and his family's relationship with Tehran and its militias in Syria were undermining its primary mission.

The site considered that what Moscow is seeking to rehabilitate the Assad regime as a symbol of stability is able to attract hundreds of billions of dollars that Russian companies are preparing to receive, as part of the reconstruction, will not be possible because of the Assad's relatives working sufficiently, and their support for Iranian forces, which prevents the arrival of funds from European and Gulf countries expected to pay the bill for the reconstruction of Syria.

In this context, James Jeffrey, the US special envoy for the coalition to defeat the Islamic State, said, “Assad has done nothing to help the Russians market the system, neither in the Arab world nor in Europe. We have heard time and again from the Russians that they understand how Bad lion. "

Media frenzy, ​​
Jeffrey’s comments come one week after the Russian media unleashed a large number of reports and editorials targeting Assad, portraying him as hopelessly corrupt and unfit to govern, indicating that it was time to replace him with a new leader.

The author highlighted articles on April 11 on Yevgeny Brigozin, and said it was a Russian signal that Assad could not miss, especially as it came from the head of the Wagner Group whose mercenaries have fought alongside Assad's forces since 2015 and which Americans see as a "tool of the Russian government that the Kremlin uses" As low-cost and low-risk to support its goals. "

The writer referred to the rumors that Moscow is studying options other than Assad to govern Syria, as TASS said in an editorial that "Russia believes that Assad is no longer able to lead the country anymore, and that he is dragging Moscow toward the Afghan scenario."

Amid this coverage, Tass directed swift strikes on Iran, noting that the Islamic Republic "has no interest in achieving stability in the region, because it considers it a battlefield against Washington."

Simultaneously, Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Bashar Al-Assad, whose assets were frozen five months ago, posted a video clip on his Facebook page accusing the Assad regime of corruption, knowing that he is the richest man in Syria and has excellent relations with Russia, and he has previously criticized Iran’s presence in Syria.

The ruling family
While Makhlouf and his loyalists are trapped in the arms of Russia, it appears to the writer that key members of the direct Assad family have become among the most prominent leaders of Iranian-backed militias in Syria, and have even been involved in armed clashes with units backed by Russia.

The writer said that these militias oversee extensive networks of corruption, and they are under the command of Maher al-Assad, the younger brother of Bashar who leads the Fourth Armored Division of the Syrian army, which is considered one of the oldest and most equipped brigades in the country.

The writer warned that the port of Latakia has been leased to Iran since the beginning of October last year, to become one of the largest drug export centers to the markets of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The writer pointed out that Tehran had started a project to build the Shalamsha railway linking Tehran to Latakia through stations in Basra, Albukamal and Damascus, which would cut off Hmeimim from the Russian forces in central and southern Syria, and would enable Tehran to deliver weapons quickly to its agents in Latakia that are already participating in Clashes against Russian-backed groups.

Paradoxically, it
appears that Russia, which is angry at the Iranian-backed militias, is not the only player on the ground who wants to settle scores with these militias, and therefore ignored Israeli strikes on Iranian forces, if not encouraging them to a large extent, according to the author.

It may not be a coincidence - as Jeremy Hodge says - that Israeli attacks have increased since April, after Russian articles attacking Assad and his regime, for Israel to say that it has moved from preventing Iran's entrenchment in Syria to forcing it out, and will not stop.

Without Russia, the writer says, Iran will be the decisive party in Syria, as it still seeks to continue the war at a time when most of the other international players are tired, and they want nothing more than the reunification of Syria. Even the last sponsor of the Free Syrian Army, before making peace with Moscow.

Ironically, according to the author, the expulsion of Assad from power will not be as expected by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has always sought this, but at the hands of Russia itself, which has long sought to protect him.