Reinforcements for the Battle of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani)… Israeli Aggression Expands / Trump: A Turkish Plan and Years-Long Ambitions in Syria… Assad: Syria Fell, So I Departed
Solidarity Stand With Ghaddar, Ghandour, and Mehaws... Mousawi Leads Efforts for Their Release
December 17, 2024
The political editor wrote
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the failure of U.S.-mediated negotiations with Turkey to establish a ceasefire in the Ain al-Arab (Kobani) region. Media reports indicate military buildups on both the Kurdish and Turkish sides in preparation for a battle that both view as decisive in shaping the balance of power for the coming phase. On one side stand the Turks, who, as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated, backed the battle to overthrow the previous Syrian regime. This claim was echoed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who declared yesterday that what occurred was “a Turkish plan and years-long ambitions in Syria”. On the other side are the Kurdish forces, whom Washington describes as their partner that bore the burden of the war against ISIS. The U.S. has officially declared the Kurds as their steadfast ally in Syria.
The battle revolves around the identity of Syria’s new political system: Turkey’s vision calls for disarming the SDF and ending its control over oil resources, while the Kurdish vision, supported by Washington, aims to restructure Syria along the Iraqi model. This would institutionalize an autonomous Kurdish region within Syria, with its own military forces and independent oil resources.
Simultaneously, while tensions escalate in northern Syria, Israeli aggression continues unabated across various Syrian regions, targeting Syrian army positions and weapon depots. Ground incursions are expanding in southern Syria, accompanied by threats to residents to evacuate their villages.
Politically, the official page of the former Syrian presidency published a statement from former President Bashar al-Assad explaining the circumstances of his departure from Damascus to Latakia, then to Hmeimim Airport and the Russian base, where he remained until Sunday evening. When Syria had “completely fallen,” Assad said, he decided to leave.
In Lebanon, activists and journalists waged a battle for the release of activists Sahar Ghaddar, Ghina Ghandour, and Evelyn Mehaws, who were detained by the Cybercrime Bureau following a lawsuit filed by MTV Lebanon. The case concerned tweets documenting the channel’s coverage during the Israeli war on Lebanon, which included incitement to bomb civilian residential areas and healthcare institutions.
While the head of the Press Editors Syndicate, Joseph Qossaifi, approached the Minister of Information, demanding that journalists only be prosecuted before the Publications Court, Randala Jabbour, President of the Syndicate of Workers in Audiovisual Media Institutions, affirmed her rejection of the detention and prosecution of the journalists. MP Ibrahim Mousawi, head of the Parliamentary Media and Communications Committee, led efforts with judicial authorities, resulting in the activists’ release late last night.
