Iran preparing to send troops to Syria

Amin Qudsi
Iran is threatening it will send troops to Syria as soon as they’re requested, accusing Türkiye of stabbing Arabs in the back with its support of the mercenaries who have seized Aleppo and are threatening nearby Hama.
Aid organisation are Thursday warning of another humanitarian catastrophe as the number of refugees swelled to around 2million and thousands of people remain besieged in Aleppo.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused Türkiye of betraying the Astana process that was established in 2017 by Türkiye, Iran and Russia to facilitate dialogue and resolve the Syrian conflict.
Sudden change
Türkiye President Recip Erdogan has been trying to corner Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in talks that the Damascus strongman has consistently rejected although Syrian and Turkish defence and intelligence chiefs have met regularly in Russia.
Just a year ago, the Arabian peninsula states had recognised Syria’s rehabilitation into the fold after isolating it during its Houthi war years. Al-Assad had until now been relying on his ministers and the other Arab states to iron out disagreements on the diplomatic front. Unlike the previous time Assad was in trouble in 2012, major players in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan and Iraq, are publicly backing Syria’s sovereignty. Iraq said it shall help Syria militarily as well.
Kamal Alam writing in Middle East Eye Thursday assigns responsibility for the Aleppo invasion entirely on Ankara, while admitting a guiding, Israeli hand on the tiller of this latest war is not entirely impossible.
But all indications are that this latest offensive by America’s jihadi mercenaries has drawn in all the other “usual suspects” in the Zionist Genocide Alliance, and that includes Ankara.
Although the advances by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham into Aleppo have been stunning, it seems Syrian government forces made no real attempt to defend the city and seemed to retreat to previously prepared positions around the city of Hama, where most of the current fighting is focussed.
Manipulation kicks into high gear
The Cradle reports the CIA and allied, Zionist intelligence agencies established joint operations rooms in southern Turkiye and Amman, Jordan, after 2014 to direct the activities of their extremist proxies fighting in Syria. The “operations rooms” seem to have kicked into high gear with the latest attack.
Turkish news site Izvestia reports the unfolding HTS attack on Aleppo is coordinated between Turkish, Ukrainian, and French intelligence, with Israeli support and US approval.
The Zionist Alliance that includes Turkey has been fostering HTS in the Idlib governate for several years, giving it all the money and oil needed to build up experience in governing subject Muslims according to Washington and Tel Aviv dictates.
The plan unfolding seems to be preparing for a future where Syria and Lebanon will fall under HTS control.
Israeli intelligence agent, Mordechai Kedar said on X last week HTS had “requested a detailed list of equipment from Israel, and they are ready for a peace agreement with Israel after taking control of Syria and Lebanon”.
White Wolf troops
The presence of “White Wolf” troops from Ukraine in Syria strikes through any doubts of an American hand in the latest assault. As Alam notes Thursday, the fact that the HTS assault came hot on the coattails of a ceasefire in Lebanon is probably not coincidental.
Al Mayadeen reports Thursday Syrian Arab Army (SAA) units ambushed advancing HTS mercenaries in Mount Zayn al-Abidin north of Hama “halting their advance and inflicting heavy losses”.
Mount Zayn al-Abidin is of vital, strategic importance as it overlooks Hama and the surrounding countryside and was an ideal position for an ambush.
Sources told Al-Mayadeen that, despite the armed groups’ use of drones and various weapons, they failed in Thursday’s attack and sustained significant casualties. HTS “experienced confusion and retreat after their failed large-scale offensive on Mount Zayn al-Abidin early on Thursday,” the sources said.
Crippling ambush
The crippling SAA ambush targeted the elite armed group, Asaeb al-Hamra, as it launched one of the largest offensives since their aggression began days ago. Asaeb al-Hamra is the Syrian arm of Al-Qaeda, even though HTS supposedly cut ties with Al-Qaeda several years ago.
The sources said the fighting lasted from evening until dawn, resulting in dozens of Asaeb al-Hamra mercenaries being killed and the remaining attackers withdrawing. The number of Asaeb al-Hamra casualties surpassed 300 dead, Al-Mayadeen reports.
The Syrian Arab Army also targeted delayed HTS supply lines in the northern Hama countryside and southern Idlib, hindering their operations. Al Mayadeen also confirmed that reinforcements were being deployed to the northern Hama front as the SAA strengthened its positions in response to the incursion.
Al-Mayadeen denied reports HTS had entered the outskirts of Hama, saying the SAA had pushed the mercenaries 15km away from roads leading to the towns of Salamiyah and Hama.
Killers falling out
Fierce fighting was ongoing north of Salamiyah and in the countryside north of Hama.
Meanwhile, The Cradle reports HTS mercenaries are clashing with hired killers from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) over control of newly captured land.
SNA mercenaries assassinated HTS leader Abu Dhar Muhambal east of Aleppo and clashes broke out before the SNA mercenaries surrendered.
HTS-led factions also stormed sites belonging to the SNA’s Fajr al-Hurriya group near the Kuweires military college in Aleppo, which was seized days ago by the Turkish proxy.
SNA militants claimed they were threatened by HTS leader Abu Muhammad al-Halabi, prompting the Turkish-backed fighters to flee their positions.
HTS and the SNA have had longstanding issues, and in 2022, they clashed against each other over territorial disputes in the Aleppo countryside. The SNA coalition – made up of several former ISIS elements – was formed by Ankara in 2017 to act as a Turkish proxy in Syria.
Corporate rebranding
HTS assumed its current name that year after rebranding itself more than once from its initial title: Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front. It has also enjoyed Qatari support over the years.
Both US-created proxies are now the leading forces in the ongoing extremist assault that was launched against the Idlib countryside, Aleppo, and Hama, The Cradle reports.