Assad’s fall: Regional power shifts, growing Israeli influence in Syria

According to Hossein Shariatmadari, the managing director of Kayhan newspaper, “The infiltration of 20,000 terrorists from northern Syria, controlled by Turkey and the U.S., played a crucial role in Assad’s downfall.”

These terrorists, armed with modern weapons from the U.S. and Israel, launched a coordinated attack, leading to widespread destruction and chaos, he noted.

Shariatmadari highlighted that the Syrian army’s failure to purge elements aligned with the enemy and Assad’s misplaced trust in foreign promises contributed to the swift collapse.

Jomhouri-e Eslami daily also warned that Israel’s influence in Syria is growing, with the new rulers in Damascus showing no opposition to Israel.

The paper emphasized that Israel’s strategic goal of expanding its borders from the Nile to the Euphrates is now closer to realization, posing a direct threat to regional stability and Iran’s security.

It advised Iran to reassess its foreign policy independently of Russia and prepare for potential escalations in Iraq and Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Iranian newspaper Ham-Mihan criticized Iran’s policymakers for ignoring critics and relying on flawed media narratives, which led to ‘misguided strategies’ in Syria.

The lack of transparency and accountability in decision-making processes has been identified as a significant factor in the failure to anticipate and respond to the crisis effectively, the daily wrote in its Monday edition.