After the Syrian Islamist rebels occupied the cities of Aleppo and Hama and approached the city of Homs, the representatives of Egypt and Jordan were to call on Syrian President Bashar Assad to leave the country and establish a government-in-exile, according to the newspaper.
WSJ also notes that representatives of the Jordanian embassy in the US have not confirmed this information.
His sources also say that Assad had to ask some countries – the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq – for intelligence support and weapons, but did not follow through.
At the same time, he should have asked Turkey to intervene and stop the rebel offensive.
Iran and the Russians are evacuating, the Americans are also issuing warnings
The operations of the opposition jihadist groups, which a few days ago quickly took control of the cities of Aleppo and Hama, have recently forced the Syrian ally Iran to move as well.
According to the newspaper, Iran has begun withdrawing its military commanders and personnel from Syria. According to the NY Times, among those who evacuated to neighboring Iraq and Lebanon were top commanders of the Quds Force, the special units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards operating abroad.
The newspaper reminds that Iran has been Assad’s ally since the beginning of the war in Syria and used the territory of Syria as a route for the supply of weapons to the political-military movement Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But the agency states that Tehran intends to send military equipment, drones or advisers to Syria. “Tehran is now providing Syria with intelligence and satellite support,” Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official as saying on condition of anonymity.
It is not only Iranians who are evacuating from Syria. The Russian embassy in Damascus on Friday urged Russians living in Syria to leave the country via commercial flights that are still available.
at the beginning of the week he pointed out that the Russians had probably evacuated several vessels from their naval base in Tartus. If this information were correct and the Russian ships really left Syria, then, according to the Ukrainian website, they could theoretically seek a safe haven in Libya or Algeria.
American authorities are also urging their citizens to evacuate. “The situation is unstable and unpredictable,” it said in a warning, adding that armed clashes were taking place in the country.
The US Embassy in Damascus ceased operations in 2012. However, the Czechs, who continue to have their diplomatic representation in Damascus, help the Americans in the country.
Jihadists on the way to Damascus
The newspaper reminds that if the opposition factions, led by the Islamist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, manage to reach the next city on the route to Damascus – the city of Homs – it will be a strategic victory for them, as Assad-controlled Damascus will be cut off from the coast and divided thus, the territory controlled by government troops into two parts.
The Russians can also find themselves in an unpleasant situation with these territorial gains of the opposition. Cutting off the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus would threaten access to their bases in the port cities of Tartus and Hmeimim. Russian bases not only helped keep the Assad regime in power, but also allowed Moscow to secure its military power in the eastern Mediterranean.
However, Israeli military analyst Dmitry Dubov pointed out in an interview for the newspaper that it is still premature to talk about the fall of the Assad regime.
“The pace of the rebels’ advance is impressive, but Assad was already in such a situation during the Syrian civil war. That’s when he came to Moscow and they also told him that the history of his regime was over. But then he managed to consolidate his forces and repulse the insurgents’ advance. I think he’s probably counting on it now,” he said, adding that Assad is not one to give up power easily.
Assad is apparently counting on Putin’s help
According to him, the Syrian president apparently continues to count on the support of Russia, but it is questionable to what extent Vladimir Putin is able to provide him with such support today. According to Dubov, even Putin will not just want to give up what he has already won in Syria.
“The Syrian army still exists and has some planes. The Russian presence in Syria has not yet been limited. And if the rebels get close to, for example, the Hmeimim air base and the naval base in Tartes, Putin will not just hand over his assets in Syria regardless of the situation in Ukraine,” he noted.
Czech expert on Russia Marek Příhoda pointed out that Russia’s possibilities of helping Syria are currently tied up by the Ukrainian front.
“A decision must be made whether they will weaken the great pressure on Ukraine in favor of helping the Syrian regime. The answer to that must be given by the Russian political leadership and Vladimir Putin personally,” he added.
the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Russia are holding talks in Qatar.
