The U.S. military announced on Thursday that it killed a top Islamic terrorist leader in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/syria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Syria</a> earlier in the day.
U.S. Central Command said that it &#8220;conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing Muhammad Salah al-Za&#8217;bir, a senior operative in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate.&#8221;
&#8220;The airstrike is part of CENTCOM&#8217;s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,&#8221; the statement said.
Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command, said that CENTCOM under the Trump administration would be focused on continuing its mission &#8220;to hunt and kill or capture terrorists, and defend our homeland, against groups that plot to attack US and allied personnel.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CENTCOM Forces Kill Senior Operative of Terror Group Hurras al-Din, an Al-Qaeda Affiliate
On Jan. 30, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing Muhammad Salah al-Za&#8217;bir, a senior operative in the terrorist… <a href="https://t.co/7waflpa0Y6">pic.twitter.com/7waflpa0Y6</a>
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1885119568814776513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2025</a></blockquote>

“Operation Iraqi Freedom – An F-16 Fighting Falcon flies a mission in the skies near Iraq on March 22.  The F-16s are from the 35th Fighter Wing Wild Weasels, Misawa Air Base, Japan. “

U.S. Takes Out Top Terrorist In Syria

Military

Radical Islam

Syria

Terrorism

World

Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to be the next director of national intelligence received a boost from a group of people well-acquainted with the threat of terrorism.
A former al Qaeda hostage, his parents, and the parents of an ISIS victim signed a joint letter backing Gabbard’s nomination as key to protecting Americans from terrorism, especially with the ascent of a new terror group in Syria.
Letter signatory Theo Padnos was kidnapped and held by the Nusra Front, an al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, from 2012 to 2014. His parents, Nancy Curtis and Michael Padnos, also signed the letter, as well as Carl and Marsha Mueller, whose daughter, Kayla, is believed to have been executed by ISIS in 2015 after being held captive in Syria for over two years.
Gabbard’s experience in national security and her service in the military has given her the necessary experience to understand the threat of terrorism, the letter says, according to a copy obtained by The Daily Wire.
“[Gabbard] has been compassionate towards terrorism’s victims. She has been a fierce advocate for bringing its practitioners to justice,” the letter says.
“American hostage families know that Tulsi Gabbard has always been on our side. We know this because all of us have been in the position of needing information and connections in a country in which the American foreign policy apparatus has been unable to provide even the most basic forms of help,” it continues.
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After the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorial regime last month, large swaths of Syria have fallen under the control of the Turkish-backed, U.S.-recognized terror group Hay&#8217;at Tahrir al-Sham, the leader of which has past ties to al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
“Now that the individuals who helped to build up ISIS and al Qaeda in Syria have taken charge of the country, we expect terrorists there to have a much freer hand in the future,” the letter says. It goes on to warn that terror groups in Syria will wield their influence over the internet to groom and radicalize “lone wolves in the West.”
“Given the threat that has lately surfaced in New Orleans, we feel that the sooner the senate confirms Tulsi Gabbard the better, as the nation needs leadership that will keep Americans safe,” the letter says.
The endorsement comes at a key time for Gabbard, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s more controversial nominees, as she prepares for a Senate confirmation hearing this month. Gabbard has been scrutinized for her past efforts to foster a closer U.S. relationship with Assad, whom she met with in 2017.
<a style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Muellers and Theo Letter of Support on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/812397735/Muellers-and-Theo-Letter-of-Support#from_embed">Muellers and Theo Letter of Support</a> by <a style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Timothy Pearce's profile on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/user/586253706/Timothy-Pearce#from_embed">Timothy Pearce</a> on Scribd

Tulsi Gabbard

Victims Of Syrian Terror Groups Throw Support Behind Tulsi Gabbard For DNI

Director of National Intelligence

Donald Trump

Politics

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/israel-defense-forces-idf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel Defense Forces</a> (IDF) declassified footage on Thursday showing a raid that IDF commandos carried out on September 8th, 2024, deep inside Syrian territory on an underground Iranian missile manufacturing plant.
The raid from the Israeli Air Force&#8217;s (IAF) Shaldag Unit was the result of years worth of &#8220;extensive intelligence gathering and monitoring,&#8221; the IDF said in a statement.
&#8220;The soldiers landed using helicopters, with fire and intelligence-gathering support from aircraft, fighter jets, and naval vessels of the Israeli Navy,&#8221; the IDF said. &#8220;The compound was a flagship project for Iran&#8217;s efforts to arm its terror proxies on Israel’s northern border. The compound included advanced assembly lines designed to manufacture precision-guided missiles and long-range rockets, significantly increasing the supply of missiles to Hezbollah and other Iranian terror proxies in the region.&#8221;
&#8220;During the operation, the forces reached critical machinery for manufacturing precision missiles, including a planetary mixer, numerous weapons, and intelligence documents, which were transferred for investigation,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;The soldiers destroyed the compound and safely returned to Israeli territory.&#8221;
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that he was proud of the commandos for the &#8220;bold and successful operation deep inside Syria.&#8221;
&#8220;This is one of the important countermeasures we have taken against the Iranian axis&#8217; attempts to arm itself to harm us, and it testifies to our determination and courage to act everywhere to protect ourselves,&#8221; he added.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Israeli military declassified intelligence on a commando raid that destroyed an Iranian-funded and supported underground compound for manufacturing precision missiles in Syria:
On September 8, 2024, over 100 Shaldag commandos raided an underground compound in Masyaf, Syria.… <a href="https://t.co/IacE7zQrt2">pic.twitter.com/IacE7zQrt2</a>
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeTruzman/status/1874848162453893500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A video from the day of the operation, showing the sequence of events on the ground: <a href="https://t.co/a1bAS9Q2nr">pic.twitter.com/a1bAS9Q2nr</a>
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeTruzman/status/1874848169366024451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
The operation marked <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-destroys-underground-iranian-built-missile-factory-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first known ground operation</a> by Israel inside of Syria in years.
The raid happened in the western part of Syria, near the border of Lebanon, while the IAF conducted an intense bombing campaign to stop the Syrian military from being able to send reinforcements to respond to Israel’s operation at the factory.
Israel notified the U.S. of the raid in advance and received no opposition to launching the operation.
The Syrian guards who were protecting the terrorist manufacturing facility were caught off guard by the raid and were killed in the Israeli commandos’ surprise attack.
U.S. and Israeli sources confirmed to Axios that Iran started building the underground facility in 2018 in coordination with Hezbollah and the Syrians after Israel “destroyed most of the Iranian missile production infrastructure” inside the country.
Israeli intelligence services reportedly monitored the site, built inside of a mountain, for five years. Israel previously considered launching an operation to destroy the site, but deemed the project too “high-risk.”
The raid could foreshadow how Israel might deal with Iran’s nuclear facilities as the country gets closer to obtaining nuclear weapons, partly due to a lack of deterrence from the Biden administration, some experts say.

IDF Releases Footage From Raid It Carried Out On Underground Iranian Missile Factory

Global Politics

Iran

Israel

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

The U.S. military announced on Friday that it killed the leader of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/isis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISIS</a> in an airstrike this week in Syria.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that U.S. forces carried out a precision airstrike on Thursday targeting ISIS leader Abu Yusif in the Dayr az Zawr Province.
The strike killed Yusif and another ISIS terrorist, CENTCOM said in a statement.
Yusif was located in an area that had been controlled by the Syrian and Russian government just a few of weeks ago.
“As stated before, the United States — working with allies and partners in the region — will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute. ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria,&#8221; said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. &#8220;We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Leader During Precision Strike in Syria
On Dec. 19, U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a precision airstrike targeting ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud in the Dayr az Zawr Province, Syria resulting in two ISIS operatives killed, including Abu… <a href="https://t.co/g3nO68Ye1T">pic.twitter.com/g3nO68Ye1T</a>
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1870109546284564645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
The strike comes as the U.S. and Israel have launched airstrikes in recent weeks to prevent terrorists from seizing on the moment and recapturing large swaths of land that they have been driven out of.
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Last week, the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-conducts-airstrikes-against-islamic-terrorists-in-syria-yemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> airstrikes against “known ISIS camps” in Syria that killed at least a dozen ISIS terrorists.
Israel has targeted weapon depots and caches of chemical weapons seeking to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Islamic terrorists who overran the country.

TOPSHOT-SYRIA-CONFLICT-JIHADISTS

U.S. Kills ISIS Leader Abu Yusif In Syria

ISIS

With the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the search for an American journalist who has been imprisoned for over 12 years has intensified.
Austin Tice, 43, was detained at a checkpoint while traveling from a suburb of Damascus to Lebanon in 2012. He was working as a freelance journalist for various publications including The Washington Post. A month after his capture, he appeared in a video sent to his family showing him with armed men, titled “Austin Tice is Alive.” It included no other information. It is believed that Tice escaped weeks after he was kidnapped but was recaptured by Syrian intelligence.
The toppling of Assad created new hope in the efforts to find Tice, as one of the rebels&#8217; first priorities was to break into Syria’s prisons and release political prisoners.
Western journalists and NGO workers are inspecting prisons, Israel is refraining from bombing areas where Tice may be, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will get involved in the effort to find Tice, who U.S. intelligence officials believe is alive.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently offering a <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/austin-bennett-tice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$1 million reward</a> for information leading to Tice’s return home.
The U.S. government is operating under the belief that Tice is alive and was imprisoned by the Assad regime in one of its detention centers, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/18/netanyahu-austin-tice-israel-syria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Axios reported</a>. Tice’s parents — who have been constantly fighting for his release — said they received assurances he is alive.
One prisoner, an American, appeared in initial videos following his release lying on a mattress, sparking speculation that he might be Tice, until it was later confirmed that he was Travis Timmerman of Missouri. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/mother-american-journalist-imprisoned-syria-sees-hope-following-news-travis-timmermans-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mrs. Tice said</a> seeing Timmerman’s release felt “like a rehearsal” for her son’s future release.
&#8220;It was almost like having a rehearsal &#8230; an inkling of what it&#8217;s really going to feel like when it is Austin walking free,&#8221; she told NBC television&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press.”
<div id="attachment_847061" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-847061" class="size-large wp-image-847061" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2150698068-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Debra Tice (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)</div>
The rebel group — which is designated as a terrorist organization — led by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-is-syrian-rebel-leader-mohammad-al-jolani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mohammad al-Jolani</a> (Ahmed Hussein al-Shara), has reportedly agreed to cooperate with the U.S. government in the search for Tice. Al-Jolani’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has been given a list of former Syrian officials who may have knowledge about Tice, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/us/politics/austin-tice-missing-syria.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported The New York Times</a>. The list was reportedly short because only a small group in Assad’s government were informed on Tice.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has launched air strikes to destroy Syria’s weapons and military infrastructure including its air defenses, aircraft, missiles, UAVs, radars, and more.
Mrs. Tice, worried about the bombing campaign’s interference in rescuing her son, sent Netanyahu a letter on Tuesday stating that she has “credible information” that her son might be in a prison near Damascus, and asked him to pause until Tice is rescued, Axios reported.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Mrs. Tice that the Israeli Defense Forces are not targeting areas where her son may be located.
“In response to your letter, please rest assured that Israel and its intelligence agencies are fully coordinated with the relevant American authorities on the matter and that the IDF is not active in the area where Austin may be located,” Netanyahu wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu&#8217;s letter to Austin Tice&#8217;s mother.
&#8220;In response to your letter, please rest assured that Israel and its intelligence agencies are fully coordinated with the relevant American authorities on the matter and that the IDF is not active in the area where… <a href="https://t.co/pu72sF3HYQ">pic.twitter.com/pu72sF3HYQ</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/1869776806858887411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
“I hope that you find a measure of comfort in that knowledge that your son’s courage and dedication as a journalist have not gone unnoticed,” Netanyahu added. “His commitment to the truth and to shining a light on the war in Syria have inspired so many people.”
Mrs. Tice spoke at the National Press Club earlier this month, stating that she was given reassurances that Tice is alive and has been treated well.
“We have from a significant source that has already been vetted all over our government that Austin Tice is alive. Austin Tice is treated well, and there is no doubt about that,” she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Debra Tice: &#8220;We have from a significant source that has been already been vetted all over our government: Austin Tice is alive. Austin Tice is treated well, and there is no doubt about that.” <a href="https://t.co/Iqj5h971io">pic.twitter.com/Iqj5h971io</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1865128039983497295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
NGO Hostage Aid Worldwide, <a href="https://x.com/HostageAid/status/1866195214865690881" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent its president</a>, Nizar Zakka, to Syria to assist in the search for Tice.
During a press conference this week, Putin said he would ask President Bashar al-Assad — who fled to Russia following his regime’s collapse — about Tice’s whereabouts.
“I haven’t met with President [Bashar al-]Assad since his arrival in Moscow, but I plan to do so, I will definitely talk to him,” Putin said, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/19/europe/russia-putin-austin-tice-comments-conference-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported CNN</a>.
But Putin expressed doubt that Tice could be found, citing the lengthy time since his detainment.
“But you and I are adults, we understand, right?” Putin said. “12 years ago, a man disappeared in Syria, 12 years ago! We understand what the situation was there 12 years ago, there was active military action, and on both sides. Does President Assad himself know what happened to this American citizen, a journalist who was doing his journalistic duty in a combat zone? Nevertheless, I promise that I will ask this question to those people who control the situation on the ground in Syria today.”
Putin was asked the question following Mrs. Tice requesting his help in a letter, due to his strong ties to the Syrian government.
“The current situation in Syria compels us to ask for your help in finding Austin and safely reuniting our family,” she reportedly wrote in the letter. “You have profound connections with the Syrian government, which can be a great benefit for our unrelenting efforts to find our Austin and reunite our family.”
In August 2024, the twelfth anniversary of Tice’s abduction, Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href="https://www.state.gov/12-years-of-captivity-for-austin-tice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reiterated the calls</a> for his release in a statement.
“For more than a quarter of his life, Austin has been separated from his family and kept in unknown conditions,” Blinken&#8217;s statement reads. “We know that the Syrian government has held Austin, and we have repeatedly offered to find a way to bring him home.”
In August 2020, on the eighth anniversary of his capture, President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement calling for Tice&#8217;s release and urged the Syrian government to assist in his return.
“There is no higher priority in my administration than the recovery and return of Americans missing abroad,” <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202000606/pdf/DCPD-202000606.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump wrote</a>. “The Tice family deserves answers. We stand with the Tice family and will not rest until we bring Austin home.”
The Tice family praised Trump for sending Kash Patel to Syria to open a dialogue about Tice’s return. The <a href="https://www.austinticefamily.com/family-statements/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">family said</a> they were closer than they “have ever been to having Austin safely home” at the time.
The family also met with President Joe Biden, who they said made “significant, encouraging commitments” in the efforts to bring Tice home.
A Houston native, Tice served as a captain in the Marine Corps, is an Eagle Scout, and graduated from Georgetown University. He has won several journalism awards, including the 2012 George Polk Award for War Reporting, the 2012 McClatchy Newspapers President’s Award, and the 2015 National Press Club John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award, <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/captive-austin-tice-family-washington-19953579.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Houston Chronicle reported</a>.
Tice traveled to Syria to freelance in the summer of 2012 before his last year at Georgetown Law School. He is <a href="https://www.austinticefamily.com/#about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> the longest-held journalist in captivity, according to the National Press Club.

OP-ED-USSYRIA-JOURNALIST-COMMENTARY-ADV25-FT

Inside The Search for Kidnapped American Journalist Austin Tice

Bashar Assad

Benjamin Netanyahu

Journalism

Vladimir Putin

The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has upended the largest player in the illicit Captagon trade in the world as journalists, civilians, and activists uncover industrial-scale production sites of the powerful stimulant.
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/syria-assad-captagon-drug-trade-a8b30615?mod=e2tw">said</a> that Syria&#8217;s drug trafficking empire was &#8220;the most profitable&#8221; in the Middle East and was the primary party responsible for fueling the use of Captagon — a stimulant that has fueled war and terrorism in the region since roughly 2011, when Syria&#8217;s civil war erupted.
The addictive stimulant has earned the nicknames “the drug of jihad” and “the poor man’s cocaine” because of its ability to keep users wide awake and give fighters extra confidence and stamina.
The Assad regime&#8217;s involvement in the production of the drug brought the dictator several billion dollars per year that he used to offset international sanctions.
Videos have emerged on social media showing tens of millions of pills from mass production sites at Syrian military air bases and other commercial businesses affiliated with Assad and his family.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Levant24 Gains exclusive access to a Captagon factory that belonged to the Assad regime and Hezbollah in Douma, Damascus. <a href="https://t.co/OCFOlHWp6b">pic.twitter.com/OCFOlHWp6b</a>
— Levant24 (@Levant_24_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Levant_24_/status/1866794097106977089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, gains rare access inside a Captagon factory.
The drug made the Assad family billions and funded the brutal rule in Syria. <a href="https://t.co/Xlow86VA5N">pic.twitter.com/Xlow86VA5N</a>
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) <a href="https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1867535153469567389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🔴 كاميرا الجديد تتجوّل داخل أكبر مصنع للكبتـاغون بالعالم العربي عند الحدود اللبنانية السورية 
▶️ نقل مباشر: <a href="https://twitter.com/zahraafardoune?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@zahraafardoune</a> <a href="https://t.co/kZmxa4jvkp">pic.twitter.com/kZmxa4jvkp</a>
— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) <a href="https://twitter.com/ALJADEEDNEWS/status/1868012327066632319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For years, the Syrian regime denied that captagon production happened within territories it controlled.
Yet in the first three days since Assad left, we&#8217;ve found industrial-scale captagon trafficking and manufacturing facilities in:
1. Mazzeh Air Base (likely affiliated with… <a href="https://t.co/1rNH3A7q5j">pic.twitter.com/1rNH3A7q5j</a>
— Caroline Rose (@CarolineRose8) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarolineRose8/status/1866896533448175726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Footage shows Syrians destroying drugs &#8212; pill of captagon. Under Assad, the country became notorious for producing and exporting this cheap narcotic. Islam prohibits drugs, but many Islamists groups have engaged in such profitable trade, and used pills when sending their… <a href="https://t.co/8MccXa9N0c">pic.twitter.com/8MccXa9N0c</a>
— Hussain Abdul-Hussain (@hahussain) <a href="https://twitter.com/hahussain/status/1866173921302659348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
VIDEO: 🇸🇾 Assad government&#8217;s captagon trade exposed in Syria
The collapse of Bashar al-Assad&#8217;s government in Syria has thrown light into the dark corners of his rule, including the industrial-scale export of the banned amphetamine-type stimulant<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFPVertical?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFPVertical</a> <a href="https://t.co/KRf3Xpmh94">pic.twitter.com/KRf3Xpmh94</a>
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1867559346517028908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
Caroline Rose, an expert on the Captagon trade at the New Lines Institute, said that the evidence being uncovered proved that it was &#8220;systematically involved in Captagon production and trafficking.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734465856887000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0yoXh27k1XJufgc_qcfvEq">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
“You can imagine the manpower, the resources that were required. It shows such investment into this illicit trade,” Rose said. “It penetrated so many elements of the regime: its political apparatus, patronage networks, the security apparatus.”
The drug is used by soldiers in Syria&#8217;s military and terrorists with ISIS, Hamas, and Hezbollah, those who work demanding jobs, students trying to study for longer hours, and recreationally by patrons of nightclubs.
There have been <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/11/17/is-crystal-meth-the-next-syrian-narco-weapon/">signs</a> in recent years that the regime had pivoted from Captagon to methamphetamine, a move that only takes a few slight tweaks to the manufacturing process. The end result is a more addictive and powerful substance that is far deadlier and has greater negative societal impacts.

SYRIA-CONFLICT-DRUGS-CAPTAGON

Industrial-Scale Captagon Production Sites Found In Syria After End Of Assad Regime

Drugs

Health

CNN suggested on Monday that a segment that was produced by correspondent Clarissa Ward in Syria last week — where her team helped free a man who was locked inside of a jail cell — was false because Ward had been duped.
The man &#8220;was a former intelligence officer with the deposed Syrian regime, according to local residents, and not an ordinary citizen who had been imprisoned, as he had claimed,&#8221; CNN said.
Verify-Sy, part of Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network, looked into the man, who identified himself as &#8220;Adel Gharbal,&#8221; and determined that there was no record of that person existing.
Instead, Verify-Sy says it identified the man as &#8220;Salama Mohammad Salama,&#8221; a man they say was &#8220;a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence, notorious for his activities in Homs.&#8221;
CNN acknowledged that Verify-Sy&#8217;s reporting was accurate after the network obtained an image of him from a local resident that showed him on military duty at a government office.
The network said that facial recognition showed that the photo was a 99% match with the man who appeared in their segment. They did not release the photo because they wanted to protect the identity of the person who took the photo.
However, Verify-Sy published the purported photo:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/VeSyria?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VeSyria</a> reveals a new photo of Salama Mohammad Salama, a former Air Force Intelligence officer, strengthening evidence of his past activities after his appearance in a CNN report.
Read the full story 👇<a href="https://t.co/5WGHqlGx4I">https://t.co/5WGHqlGx4I</a> <a href="https://t.co/nvSxfvWGPV">pic.twitter.com/nvSxfvWGPV</a>
— تَأكّدْ EN (@VeSyriaE) <a href="https://twitter.com/VeSyriaE/status/1868762643877728293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
The report said that &#8220;multiple residents&#8221; confirmed to the network that he was notorious for &#8220;extortion and harassment.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s unclear how or why Salama ended up in the Damascus jail, and CNN has not been able to reestablish contact with him,&#8221; the report added. &#8220;Salama’s current whereabouts are unknown.&#8221;
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Verify-Sy said the residents indicated that the man worked at a checkpoint that was &#8220;infamous for its abuses.&#8221;
The <a href="https://verify-sy.com/en/details/10562/Did-CNN-Fabricate-the-Story-of--Freeing-a-Prisoner-from-a-Secret-Jail--">report</a> continues:
<blockquote>Abu Hamza reportedly managed several security checkpoints in Homs and was involved in theft, extortion, and coercing residents into becoming informants. According to locals, his recent incarceration—lasting less than a month—was due to a dispute over profit-sharing from extorted funds with a higher-ranking officer. This led to his detention in one of Damascus&#8217;s cells, as per neighborhood sources.
Despite his seemingly innocent and composed demeanor in the CNN report, Salama has a grim history. He participated in military operations on several fronts in Homs in 2014, killed civilians, and was responsible for detaining and torturing numerous young men in the city without cause or on fabricated charges. Many were targeted simply for refusing to pay bribes, rejecting cooperation, or even for arbitrary reasons like their appearance. These details were corroborated by families of victims and former detainees who spoke with Verify-Sy.</blockquote>
CNN said in a statement on Sunday that no one knew that Ward and her team were visiting the prison featured in the report.
&#8220;The events transpired as they appear in our film,&#8221; the network claimed. &#8220;The decision to release the prisoner featured in our report was taken by the guard—a Syrian rebel.&#8221;
&#8220;We reported the scene as it unfolded, including what the prisoner told us, with clear attribution,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity. We are continuing our reporting into this and the wider story.&#8221;
Ward was reporting from a secret prison inside the regime&#8217;s Air Force Intelligence headquarters, where she claimed that she was looking for Austin Tice, an American journalist held captive in Syria since 2012.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t find any hints of Tice, but come across something extraordinary,&#8221; she claimed as the camera crew and an armed guard — who the network identified as a &#8220;Syrian rebel,&#8221; many of whom are Islamic terrorists — discovered a prison cell with a blanket inside that was allegedly locked.
She claimed the guard made them &#8220;turn the camera off while he shoots the lock off the cell door.&#8221;
Then, despite the alleged danger, Ward and her camera crew entered the cell first ahead of the armed guard.
Ward then started calling out in English — in a country where Arabic is the official language — to a person appearing to be hiding under the blanket: &#8220;Is there someone there? Is someone there?&#8221;
The guard approaches the blanket, and at that point, a man emerges from underneath and raises his hands, claiming to be a civilian.
The man they found hiding under blankets wore relatively nice clothes, looked fairly clean, and did not appear to be starving. His hair and beard appeared to be decently groomed, and he did not appear to have any visible injuries.
He claimed to Ward that he had been locked up for three months and had been without food and water for several days.
Ward then jumps in and plays the role of a caretaker: &#8220;You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK.&#8221;
She dramatically exclaims that he &#8220;Clutches my arm tightly with both hands&#8221; as she cries out for water for the man.
&#8220;Does anyone have any water? Water?&#8221; she cries out. &#8220;OK. It&#8217;s water. It&#8217;s water. OK. OK. OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK.&#8221;
Once they brought him outside, Ward and her crew got him a chair set up so they could interview him.
She claimed that he was so weak that he could &#8220;barely lift [food] to his mouth.&#8221;
&#8220;His body can&#8217;t handle it,&#8221; she claimed. &#8220;OK, you are OK. His captors fled during the fall of Damascus, leaving him with no food or water. That was at least four days ago.&#8221;
The man claimed that the Mukhabarat Intelligence Services imprisoned him over something on his phone. He claims that he was beaten and kept in the dark the entire time he was in prison.
When asked during a follow-up interview on the network what more she knew about the man and how he ended up in prison, Ward claimed: &#8220;Well, we don&#8217;t know that much because you can see from the report that he&#8217;s in a deep state of shock.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;You&#8217;re okay, you&#8217;re okay.&#8221;
A remarkable moment as CNN&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/clarissaward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@clarissaward</a> and her team find a Syrian prisoner left behind in a secret prison, alone and unaware the Assad regime was no more. <a href="https://t.co/Cz6TBWHvts">pic.twitter.com/Cz6TBWHvts</a>
— Lauren Cone (@LConeCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/LConeCNN/status/1866981482801061980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>

FRANCE-JOURNALISM-WAR-AWARD

CNN Suggests Clarissa Ward Got Duped By Alleged War Criminal

Media

The U.S. military carried out airstrikes against Islamic terrorists on Monday in Syria and Yemen.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) first announced strikes against ISIS in Syria as officials are becoming increasingly worried that the terrorist group could reestablish a caliphate there with the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The precision airstrikes targeted &#8220;known ISIS camps,&#8221; CENTCOM said in a statement.
At least 12 ISIS terrorists were killed during the operation and damage assessments were underway to determine the overall effectiveness of the strike.
&#8220;The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS, preventing the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek opportunities to reconstitute in central Syria,&#8221; the statement said.
The strikes were carried out in areas that the Syrians and Russians used to control to prevent ISIS from taking over.
“CENTCOM, working with allies and partners in the region, will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.
CENTCOM also targeted Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen on Monday, carrying out
CENTCOM Conducts Precision Airstrike Against Iran-Backed Houthi Facility in Yemen &#8220;a precision airstrike against a key command and control facility&#8221; in Sana’a.
&#8220;The targeted facility was a hub for coordinating Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,&#8221; a separate statement said.
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The strike comes as there have been scores of attacks on merchant and naval vessels traveling around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the last 14 months following Hamas&#8217; October 7 terrorist attack in Israel.
&#8220;The strike reflects CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment to protect U.S. and coalition personnel, regional partners, and international shipping,&#8221; the statement added.

Chained Down

U.S. Conducts Airstrikes Against Islamic Terrorists In Syria, Yemen

terrorist

Yemen

CNN&#8217;s Clarissa Ward is facing mounting questions over a segment that she produced in Syria last week about a man who was freed from a prison following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad&#8217;s government.
Verify-Sy, part of Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network, looked into the man, who identified himself as &#8220;Adel Gharbal,&#8221; and determined that there was no record of that person existing.
Instead, Verify-Sy says it identified the man as &#8220;Salama Mohammad Salama,&#8221; a man they say was &#8220;a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force Intelligence, notorious for his activities in Homs.&#8221;
The <a href="https://verify-sy.com/en/details/10562/Did-CNN-Fabricate-the-Story-of--Freeing-a-Prisoner-from-a-Secret-Jail--">report</a> continues:
<blockquote>Residents of the Al-Bayyada neighborhood identified him as frequently stationed at a checkpoint in the area’s western entrance, infamous for its abuses.
Abu Hamza reportedly managed several security checkpoints in Homs and was involved in theft, extortion, and coercing residents into becoming informants. According to locals, his recent incarceration—lasting less than a month—was due to a dispute over profit-sharing from extorted funds with a higher-ranking officer. This led to his detention in one of Damascus&#8217;s cells, as per neighborhood sources.
Despite his seemingly innocent and composed demeanor in the CNN report, Salama has a grim history. He participated in military operations on several fronts in Homs in 2014, killed civilians, and was responsible for detaining and torturing numerous young men in the city without cause or on fabricated charges. Many were targeted simply for refusing to pay bribes, rejecting cooperation, or even for arbitrary reasons like their appearance. These details were corroborated by families of victims and former detainees who spoke with Verify-Sy.</blockquote>
The report said that the man has been trying to get sympathy from the locals following his release from prison by claiming he was forced to do those things. They say he&#8217;s changed his phone number and deactivated his social media accounts in an attempt to &#8220;erase evidence of his involvement in armed activities and war crimes.&#8221;
The report called on CNN to address whether it &#8220;deliberately misled its audience&#8221; or if it fell &#8220;victim to misinformation,&#8221; which they said the network would need to explain what led to the mistake.
CNN said in a statement that no one knew that Ward and her team were visiting the prison featured in the report.
&#8220;The events transpired as they appear in our film,&#8221; the network claimed. &#8220;The decision to release the prisoner featured in our report was taken by the guard—a Syrian rebel.&#8221;
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&#8220;We reported the scene as it unfolded, including what the prisoner told us, with clear attribution,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;We have subsequently been investigating his background and are aware that he may have given a false identity. We are continuing our reporting into this and the wider story.&#8221;
Ward reported from the secret prison inside the regime&#8217;s Air Force Intelligence headquarters, where she claimed that she was looking for Austin Tice, an American journalist held captive in Syria since 2012.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t find any hints of Tice, but come across something extraordinary,&#8221; she claimed as the camera crew and an armed guard — who the network identified as a &#8220;Syrian rebel,&#8221; many of whom are Islamic terrorists — discovered a prison cell with a blanket inside that was allegedly locked.
She claimed the guard made them &#8220;turn the camera off while he shoots the lock off the cell door.&#8221;
Then, despite the alleged danger, Ward and her camera crew entered the cell first ahead of the armed guard.
Ward then started calling out in English — in a country where Arabic is the official language — to a person appearing to be hiding under the blanket: &#8220;Is there someone there? Is someone there?&#8221;
The guard approaches the blanket, and at that point, a man emerges from underneath and raises his hands, claiming to be a civilian.
The man they found hiding under blankets wore relatively nice clothes, looked fairly clean, and did not appear to be starving. His hair and beard appeared to be decently groomed, and he did not appear to have any visible injuries.
He claimed to Ward that he had been locked up for three months and had been without food and water for several days.
Ward then jumps in and plays the role of a caretaker: &#8220;You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK.&#8221;
She dramatically exclaims that he &#8220;Clutches my arm tightly with both hands&#8221; as she cries out for water for the man.
&#8220;Does anyone have any water? Water?&#8221; she cries out. &#8220;OK. It&#8217;s water. It&#8217;s water. OK. OK. OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK. You&#8217;re OK.&#8221;
Once they brought him outside, Ward and her crew got him a chair set up so they could interview him.
She claimed that he was so weak that he could &#8220;barely lift [food] to his mouth.&#8221;
&#8220;His body can&#8217;t handle it,&#8221; she claimed. &#8220;OK, you are OK. His captors fled during the fall of Damascus, leaving him with no food or water. That was at least four days ago.&#8221;
The man claimed that the Mukhabarat Intelligence Services imprisoned him over something on his phone. He claims that he was beaten and kept in the dark the entire time he was in prison.
When asked during a follow-up interview on the network what more she knew about the man and how he ended up in prison, Ward claimed: &#8220;Well, we don&#8217;t know that much because you can see from the report that he&#8217;s in a deep state of shock.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;You&#8217;re okay, you&#8217;re okay.&#8221;
A remarkable moment as CNN&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/clarissaward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@clarissaward</a> and her team find a Syrian prisoner left behind in a secret prison, alone and unaware the Assad regime was no more. <a href="https://t.co/Cz6TBWHvts">pic.twitter.com/Cz6TBWHvts</a>
— Lauren Cone (@LConeCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/LConeCNN/status/1866981482801061980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
Ward later posted the segment on X where she exclaimed that in her two decades as a journalist, &#8220;this was one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed.&#8221;
She later faced widespread criticism over the segment, including from media critic Stephen L. Miller, who mocked Ward&#8217;s post: &#8220;As it turns out it&#8217;s one of the most extraordinary moments we have witnessed as well.&#8221;
RedState writer Bonchie called Ward a &#8220;D-list actress posing as a &#8216;war correspondent,'&#8221; saying she &#8220;released a notorious Assad regime torturer and then tried to parlay it into clicks.&#8221;
Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on X: &#8220;Amazing how Clarissa Ward just flushed her credibility completely down to the toilet by signing on to this staged event.&#8221;
&#8220;The whole scenario was fake,&#8221; said columnist Miranda Devine. &#8220;Bad acting, implausible details. Clarissa Ward is kaput.&#8221;
Podcast host Gerry Callahan called the segment a &#8220;disaster for CNN.&#8221;
&#8220;The guy had a trimmed beard, clean clothes and manicured nails. They said he&#8217;d been in the prison for &#8216;months,'&#8221; he said. &#8220;Their star war correspondent, Clarissa Ward, is either the most naive woman in the world or she was in on the hoax.&#8221;
&#8220;There really isn&#8217;t a third option,&#8221; he added.

Warner Bros. Discovery WBD at Cannes Lions 2022 – CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht in conversation with CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward

CNN’s Clarissa Ward Under Fire After Viral Segment Freeing Syrian Prisoner Gets Debunked

Prison

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said during an interview over the weekend that the U.S. under President-elect Donald Trump would enter into a &#8220;new phase of realism&#8221; when it comes to intervening in foreign conflicts.
Schmitt made the remarks during a Sunday interview on ABC News&#8217; &#8220;This Week&#8221; with George Stephanopoulos in the context of the collapse of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
&#8220;I think President Trump has been clear as far as us intervening there,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a situation that we should do, but I do think diplomacy will be important especially in these critical hours in the aftermath of Assad being overthrown.&#8221;
&#8220;I do think we&#8217;re entering a new phase, though, of realism in this country,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;President Trump will be less interventionist, and we get back to our core national interests. Principally defending the homeland, the Indo-Pacific, and China, and so I think that&#8217;s a longer term conversation.&#8221;
Schmitt said that the U.S. would ensure that people were safe in Syria but would not get entangled in a new conflict that bogs down the U.S. military.
&#8220;Understanding what terrorism means around the world is important, but having these tripwires in other regions that pull us into wars, I think the American people have had enough of that,&#8221; he said.
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He added, &#8220;And I think President Trump was pretty clear about it not only in his first term, but when he campaigned, and so again, I think getting back to the sense of, you know, abandoning this failed foreign policy that&#8217;s cost us trillions of dollars, that sent our men and women across the world, I think we need to revisit that, and again, get back to our core national interests.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt tells <a href="https://twitter.com/GStephanopoulos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GStephanopoulos</a> that the U.S. is entering a new phase of “realism&#8221; regarding foreign affairs ahead of the new Trump administration.
“President Trump will be less interventionist and we get back to our core national interests.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/OWUilgoUTg">https://t.co/OWUilgoUTg</a> <a href="https://t.co/a4VjECRF5L">pic.twitter.com/a4VjECRF5L</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1868330056495366631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2024</a></blockquote>

The 2024 Republican National Convention

Senator Schmitt: U.S. Entering ‘A New Phase Of Realism’ On Foreign Policy

Eric Schmitt

Foreign Policy

The possible outcomes for Syria after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad generally range from bad to worse, though the regime’s end may serve U.S. interests in the region.
Assad’s regime was well-known for the brutality it directed toward its own people as Assad sought to maintain power through a lengthy and bloody civil war. But with terror groups and jihadis in control of large swaths of the country, Syria’s next government could be as harsh or worse toward religious and ethnic minorities.
“Domestically, [Assad’s ouster] is probably going to result in chaos because, prior to Hafez al-Assad&#8217;s taking over 50 years ago, there was one coup after another in Syria,” Hillsdale College history professor Dr. Paul Rahe told The Daily Wire.
<div id="attachment_843363" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-843363" class="size-large wp-image-843363" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-864x576.jpg" alt="Syrians Gather In The Umayyad Square In The Heart Of Damascus To Celebrate The Fall Of The Assad Regime On December 9, 2024.(Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188582619.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images</div>
That chaos is largely a result of Syria’s creation out of imperial holdings of the British and French after the first world war, according to Rahe.
“The crucial thing to understand is that Syria is artificial. It goes back to the divvying up of the Near East between the British and the French after World War I. So, there really isn&#8217;t a country there,” Rahe said.
“The difficulties in bringing order to Syria other than the kind of order that Assad imposed – which is violent and dictatorial and tyrannical – the difficulty is very, very great. I don&#8217;t think we should expect this to produce a new awakening for Syria and good things,” he continued. “It may be good for us, … but I wouldn’t be shocked if the civil war continued.”
Amid the chaos, Russia risks the loss of its Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean, as well as the Khmeimim airbase, an important staging post between Russia and its operations in Africa. Iran’s losses are arguably greater. Tehran has spent decades building networks and infrastructure in Syria to supply its terror proxies throughout the region.
<div id="attachment_842239" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-842239" class="wp-image-842239 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-1024x576.jpg" alt="TOPSHOT - An aerial photo shows Syrian naval ships destroyed during an overnight Israeli attack on the port city of Latakia on December 10, 2024. The UN special envoy for Syria on December 10 called on Israel to halt its military movements and bombardments inside Syria, days after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP) (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2188589898-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />An aerial photo shows Syrian naval ships destroyed during an overnight Israeli attack on the port city of Latakia on December 10, 2024. (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Whether Moscow and Tehran can maintain the influence they had with the new regional authority remains to be seen, though the odds are doubtful. Reports say both Russia and Iran have pulled resources out of the country in the days since Assad’s ouster.
The group responsible for Assad’s fall is Ha’yat Tehrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terror group that led the rebel coalition against the Assad regime. HTS is led by a man who, until recently, was known by his nom de guerre <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-is-syrian-rebel-leader-mohammad-al-jolani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Abu Mohammad al-Jolani</a>. He dropped the name while distancing himself from his radical Islamist past, recently reverting to his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Sharaa, with his past ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, is wanted under a $10 million bounty by the United States.
Sharaa is closely aligned with Turkey and its autocratic ruler, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, leaving the Turks in the best position to influence the possible next leader of Syria. That influence could have a significant impact on how U.S. interests in the region are served, according to Rahe.
“Whether it&#8217;s in our interest or in the interest of the Israelis depends to a great degree on the policy of Turkey, and there&#8217;s no clarity about the policy of Turkey with regard to Israel,” Rahe said. “At times, the Erdogan government has cooperated very closely with the Israelis. At other times, it has been strongly hostile to Israel.”
Despite the questions surrounding Turkey, the fact that Tehran is no longer the dominant state sponsor in Syria bodes well.
“[Assad] was a pawn of Iran, so the weakening of Iran is very good for us,” Rahe said. “If it turns out to be a radical Islamist regime on the border of Israel, it will be trouble. But will it be as much trouble as Iran was with Assad, with Hezbollah, with the Houthis? I think not. So, on the whole, I think it’s a piece of luck for us.”
<div id="attachment_843367" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-843367" class="size-large wp-image-843367" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-864x576.jpg" alt="UNSPECIFIED, SYRIA - DECEMBER 11: Islamist rebels of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stand guard at the entrance of the first abandoned military base that reads Our Leader Forever - Hafez al-Assad on December 11, 2024, inside Lebanons border with Syria, Rebel forces in Syria have retaken the capital from longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who has fled the country for Moscow. The fall of the Assad regime marks a new chapter for Syria, which has been mired in a multi-party civil war since 2011, sparked by the Arab Spring uprisings. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2189513052.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Scott Peterson/Getty Images</div>
The United States has roughly 1,000 troops in Syria, left over from forces ordered there under the Obama administration to fight the rise of the Islamic State. President Joe Biden has dedicated American forces toward that aim again, launching dozens of airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Syria in the past week.
“We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability and to create a safe haven. We will not let that happen,” Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/12/08/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-latest-developments-in-syria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in remarks from the White House on December 8.
Biden’s limited interventions in Syria appear to be more than President-elect Donald Trump prefers or would pursue after he takes office in January.
“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, &amp; THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” Trump said in a recent post on Truth Social. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
But with Assad out and Syria’s future governance in doubt for the first time in 50 years, should the United States move in to assert its influence and interests in the new regime? According to Rahe, that would be a bad idea based more on hubris than reality.
“It&#8217;s too easy for Americans to exaggerate American agency, our capacity to fix things, to shape things. The prudent thing to do is to watch and wait,” Rahe told The Daily Wire. “If a government emerges and it&#8217;s in control of the territory, we should recognize it and our diplomats should try to work with it. Then we’ll see.”
“But we can’t control this,” he continued. “The Russians can’t control it. The Iranians can’t control it. And my guess is, in the end, the Turks can’t control it, though they can influence things.”

TOPSHOT-SYRIA-CONFLICT

‘We Can’t Control This’: The Fall Of Assad And The Future Of Syria

Middle East

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/israel-defense-forces-idf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel Defense Forces</a> (IDF) have launched nearly 500 strikes across Syria over the last two days to prevent military weaponry from falling into the hands of terrorists who have overthrown Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#8217;s brutal dictatorship.
On Monday night, Israeli Navy missile ships struck two Syrian Navy facilities — the Al-Bayda port and the Latakia port — destroying approximately 15 Syrian naval vessels.
&#8220;Dozens of sea-to-sea missiles with ranges of 80–190 kilometers were destroyed,&#8221; the IDF said in a statement. &#8220;Each missile carried significant explosive payloads, posing threats to civilian and military maritime vessels in the area.&#8221;
Fighter pilots in the Israel Air Force (IAF) flew hundreds of hours over Syrian airspace this week, carrying out more than 350 strikes against targets.
&#8220;A wide range of targets were struck, including anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian Air Force airfields, and dozens of weapons production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra,&#8221; the IDF said. &#8220;Numerous strategic weapons were neutralized, including Scud missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-sea, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, UAVs, fighter jets, attack helicopters, radars, tanks, hangars, and more.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
⭕ In 48 hours, the IDF struck most of the strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorist elements. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻:
⚓ Naval Operations: Israeli Navy missile ships struck 2 Syrian Navy facilities… <a href="https://t.co/6N1fz7BiMF">pic.twitter.com/6N1fz7BiMF</a>
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1866559502100861115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
Retired British colonel Richard Kemp, who was a top intelligence official, said that the strikes were perhaps the most intense in Israel&#8217;s history and were a brilliant strategic move.
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&#8220;Strategic masterstroke by Israel,&#8221; Kemp posted on X. &#8220;In perhaps the most intensive bombing campaign in its history, Israel has destroyed the Syrian air force, air defenses, navy &amp; army assets plus defense industries &amp; [Command, Control, and Intelligence].&#8221;
&#8220;Looks also like chemical weapons neutralized/seized,&#8221; he added. &#8220;IDF ground forces secured defense lines inside Syria. This eliminates a significant threat to Israel &amp; further degrades &amp; neutralizes the remnants of Hezbollah. It is also yet another hammer blow to Iran.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Strategic masterstroke by Israel. In perhaps the most intensive bombing campaign in its history, Israel has destroyed the Syrian air force, air defences, navy &amp; army assets plus defence industries &amp; C2I. Looks also like chemical weapons neutralised/seized. IDF ground forces… <a href="https://t.co/9ZX92pYMBn">pic.twitter.com/9ZX92pYMBn</a>
— Rɪᴄʜᴀʀᴅ Kᴇᴍᴘ ⋁ (@COLRICHARDKEMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/COLRICHARDKEMP/status/1866443672146874406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2024</a></blockquote>

TOPSHOT-SYRIA-ISRAEL-CONFLICT

Israel Conducts Nearly 500 Strikes In Syria To Stop Weapons From Falling Into Terrorist’s Hands

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