President Assad

We can’t do anything to influence who is going to run the country so best to keep whoever it is onside. The government can hardly just refuse to have anything to do with them. If we’d refused to deal with terrorists we would never have achieved peace in Ireland, would we?

I think the rebel leader is allegedly an ex terrorist now reformed. Kier Starmer has committed to giving them eleven million pounds but surely he should wait awhile to see how things pan out. There was some mention of the new leader making shariah law the norm which is a bit worrying.

foxie48

No one knows how this is going to pan out in the long run. I know what I'd like to happen but experience has shown me I'm often disappointed. I have realised how little I know about Syria but I listened to the latest This is Politics podcast and found it very informative, well worth listening to if you want to have a bit more background to the issues.

Yes, even with loads of background reading from different sources it's very hard to grasp.

No one knows how this is going to pan out in the long run. I know what I'd like to happen but experience has shown me I'm often disappointed. I have realised how little I know about Syria but I listened to the latest This is Politics podcast and found it very informative, well worth listening to if you want to have a bit more background to the issues.

There are reports of Israel advancing towards Damascus beyond the buffer zone

www.standard.co.uk/news/world/syria-israel-incursion-damascus-assad-hts-middle-east-golan-heights-b1199065.html

Still nightly bombardments by Israel, the UN envy has called on them to stop. My concerns, as well as for civilians in the area, are that the more Syrians perceive Israel as an aggressor the long term situation will be worse not better.

There is still fighting in the Kurdish North.

Trump declared on X "“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!," Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social”. but on Saturday they launched airstrikes against ISIS as they fear it might have a come-back. The US has 900 troops in the NorthEast.

However the US like most Western countries hope to engage with HTS and other groups to promote a non jihadist but nationalist government. It's a really really tough "ask". Since the West gives so much aid there must be some "clout" there. The HTS and other groups are in talks but there are differences.

Meanwhile in many western countries Syrian applications for asylum have been paused awaiting developments.

Mostly I hope for the most benign possible solution for civilians who have suffered so very much for so very long.

OldFrill this armchair expert would like some circumspection before any government apparently welcomes a potential jihadist replacement. It’s elementary ….

MayBee70

Israel have seized land in Syria though, I believe, saying it’s ‘to protect Israelis’.

It’ll be a temporary measure to protect Israel. They are after all, surrounded by enemies who would raze the country to the ground if they could. The Israelis don’t want to occupy or seize land that’s not theirs, but they do have to protect themselves.

Petal, some education is needed.

Please don’t patronise me.

No education is needed.
I will repeat (before I’m off out for the day with a friend) Netanyahu is neither a fascist nor a dictator. I’m sorry I didn’t read any further with your ill informed post.

Have a nice day.

David49

The intelligence network that Israel has developed has is extensive, we saw this in Lebanon . There had been an armed stand off with Assad neither side wanted to trigger a major confrontation.
The arms dumps accumulated during Assads rule were a threat in terrorist hands so Israel destroyed them, everything now depends on how the new government develops, Assad was propped up by Russia and Iran. Russia is now out of the equation, the doubt is whether Islamic extremism is also now dead.
I’m sure the US will offer to help rebuild the country and assist security in the way they do in Jordan and Egypt, whether that will be accepted is very much unknown at present

But will the US under Trump be prepared to get involved?

The intelligence network that Israel has developed has is extensive, we saw this in Lebanon . There had been an armed stand off with Assad neither side wanted to trigger a major confrontation.
The arms dumps accumulated during Assads rule were a threat in terrorist hands so Israel destroyed them, everything now depends on how the new government develops, Assad was propped up by Russia and Iran. Russia is now out of the equation, the doubt is whether Islamic extremism is also now dead.
I’m sure the US will offer to help rebuild the country and assist security in the way they do in Jordan and Egypt, whether that will be accepted is very much unknown at present

Do Starmer and Lammy not read the armchair experts on Gransnet

Wyllow3 Israel has destroyed chemical weapons for example held in Syria before the new regime gained access to them. I am impressed with the way Israel has protected its border and with its knowledge of Syria’s location of weapons. Israel won’t be caught sleeping again.
My impression is that Starmer and Lammy are well out of touch in this current crisis btw.

They have seized some, (covered across the news) the reasoning being creating a strip of a buffer zone for the Golan Heights.

I don't feel it's realistic to turn the clock back to 1967 as regards Israel taking the Golan Heights from Syria.

However.... I do feel uneasy about the Rocket attacks into Syria. Not the best way to start what won't be an easy relationship.

Israel have seized land in Syria though, I believe, saying it’s ‘to protect Israelis’.

Kalm, maybe you could take some time to educate as well.

Petal: Some education is needed. First and foremost Netanyahu is a pure fascist dictator. The reason why Israel does not respect borders because they were written by ignorant people like Lord Balfour in some Gent's club in London. The original colonialists did not have democracy at the forefront of their thought process. So why should Israel respect borders, as they stole the land anyway. Most respectable democracies don't "forcefully" occupy other people's land. The IDF instructs Gazans and the the west bank populations to forcibly move. This is a crime pure and simple. Last time I looked UK convicts were charged by an independent court free of the executive, this is not the case in Israel. The prisons in Israel are terrible and would not be surprised if the Assad copied that model. The 1939 war was a just war between countries that were properly armed, the technology at the time meant collateral damage was higher than today's so called smart weapons. The IDF have pinpointed rooms so they have smart weapons, so why kill babies ? women and children ? Also I note with sadness the T word also pops out when conversing with muslims or those who support muslims ? It is highly insulting especially in an Islamophobic environment to associate violence with Islam when no proof is provided.

There is a lot of rebuilding to do for a start.

I’m not frightened of Netanyahu.
The borders of Israel are clearly marked on maps.
Journalists have not been allowed to enter Gaza during the war, but a surprising amount of footage has nonetheless emerged from there. I watched a one hour long documentary about Gaza on Channel 4 a few weeks ago.
I’m not sure exactly what is meant by democracies respect international jurisdiction Maybe it means Israel should do what other countries tell it to do. I don’t think many countries do that.
Thousands of people in prisons? Yes, they’re called criminals and we have thousands in prison in the UK. I think we’re still a democracy.
Unfortunately even democracies sometimes have to go to war, as we did in 1939. Unfortunately in war civilians, young and old, get killed and injured. That why democracies try to avoid war, bur when they’re attacked by others, they do indeed go to war.

I’m pleased you think Syria is going to be successful now Kalm, and I very much hope you’re right, but I certainly don’t have your confidence, since the terrorists have now taken over Syria.
My thoughts are with the Syrian people. Will they be better off under these terrorist groups than they were under Assad? Who knows? Only time will tell.

Syria is likely to be successful now.
For those who need educating:
www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/jihad_1.shtml
It is Netanyahu who we should be frightened of....it is alleged Israel is a democracy, where are the borders for this state? where is the freedom of the press in Gaza ?Democracies respect international jurisdiction ? Democracies do not hold thousands of people in detention ? Democracies do not use armies to fight against those unarmed civilians it is occupying.
Democracies do not kill babies ?
Prof Nizam Mamode has given excellent testimony to parliament committees.parliament.uk/committee/98/international-development-committee/news/203748/idc-chair-responds-to-shocking-evidence-on-gaza-healthcare/

Yes, poor little tot. 😥

Very upsetting..😥

One of the most upsetting things I saw was that tiny boy toddling out of prison where he'd spent his whole life.
Had he ever seen daylight?

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani
Like this one?

Jeanathome do you have an opinion on Jihadists?

ronib

Wyllow3 Netanyahu strikes me as an able and capable leader. The new Syrian regime is very much an unknown entity. Surely wait and see works best in this situation?

Capable of genocide, yes.