(This interview was very kindly translated by Ghassan Kadi to whom I want to express my deepest gratitude. The Saker)
The Saker: Please introduce yourself to your readers, education, professional experience, military experience, political leanings, religion, etc.
General Htaite: My name is Amine Htaite, I am a retired general in the Lebanese Army, PhD in Law, a lecturer in the Lebanese University and Islamic University in Lebanon. I am the ex-chief of the Central College of Command in the Lebanese Army and I have been in charge of several Lebanese Army battalions, both combat and logistic. Nowadays I conducts strategic, military and legal studies dealing with pertinent issues in the Levant and their international ramifications. In this context, I write two journal articles per week and partake in meetings and discussions and analysis on television, radio discussion panels as well as strategic and technical conferences on a regular basis.
The Saker: What is really happening in Syria right now. A year ago it looked like Syria was really winning this war, now there are a lot of reports coming in, even in the Russian press, seeming to indicate that the government forces are in a very difficult situation and that they barely control less than half of the country. Yet Hezbollah Member of Parliament Mohammed Raad sounds very confident and says that the government chose to not defend some areas. But then the same Mohammed Raad also says that close to 500 Hezbollah fighters have died in Syria. That is a lot. So what is the reality on the battlefield, who hold the advantage, and where do you think is the current situation heading. What is, in your opinion, the key to their success and what are the main weaknesses of the government forces? Has the tide really turned and could the Takfiris really threaten the government in Damascus?
General Htaite: Syria is now subjected to a complex war, led by the United States and which includes many direct regional partners especially Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and also Israel. Add to this NATO and especially France and Britain. As for the operational operatives on the ground, they are the terrorist organisations that have originated from Al Qaida, which was originally founded by the United States in the early 80’s to fight the USSR in Afghanistan. Soon after this, America found out that investment in terrorism is beneficial for its interests and decided to continue to support Al Qaida despite claiming animosity towards it and fighting it, and then moved on to split up Al Qaida and to allocate one of those branches to each state in which America wanted to intervene.
As for the purpose of this war on Syria, it is to coerce the Syrian government out of the axis of resistance in preparation for the isolation of Hezbollah from its strategic depth in Iran, leading up to encircling it so as to totally eradicate the resistance and its axis.
Thus far, America has adopted four different major strategies and they have all failed and have recently moved to plan number five a few weeks ago. As for the failed plans, they go hand in hand with the [Muslim] Brotherhood plan or the three–axes plan which aimed to sub-divide the region into three axes; the first is the [Muslim] Brotherhood axis which extends from Tunisia to Turkey via Libya, Egypt, Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan and Syria; the second one is the Wahhabi axis and the third is the Shia axis. The goals of the first axis is to protect Israel, whilst the second and the third axes were meant to squabble between each other in order to keep the focus away from Israel.
The second plan was the Saudi – Bandar plan which aimed to topple the Syrian government and to replace it with a Wahabbi government that is loyal and answerable to Saudi Arabia.
The third plan was that of ISIS which was based on exerting pressure all the way from as far south as Jordan, all the way through Syria and as far north as Turkey. For this reason the first terrorist regiment was established in the south and the Jaish al Fatah in the north. However, this plan failed after the strong strategic blow it received in Qalamoun. Now it seems that the new direction is to move towards opening up a multitude of war fronts and this is what is happening now on the southern, eastern and northern fronts.
However, the resilience of the axis of resistance and its determination to block all offenses and win, based on its correct understanding of the events, was and still is able to put in place the right defence strategies. As it has been able to thwart the previous plans we believe that the axis of resistance is capable of defeating the current plan by adopting a strategy based on prioritising areas for strong military presence in order to ensure the viability of the State and centres of strategic importance as well as structuring itself in a manner that allows it to be prepared for a long, protracted war that is capable of defeating the enemy every time it conjures up a new plan of attack. This is why it is important to understand that the withdrawal of the army from certain areas is only a re-deployment based on this strategy.
The Saker: From the little I know, the Takfiris have been successful both in the country-side and in cities (several of which they have taken). How are they managing to resupply themselves in ammunition, fuel, spares, medical equipment, etc.? Where are the lines of supplies for the Takfiris running and why does the Syrian government apparently have such difficulties interdicting them? Who controls the border with Turkey, Iraq and Jordan? Does the Syrian Air Force have the means to “reach” the border to interdict it?
General Htaite: As I have said before, ISIS, Al Nusra Front and all other terrorist organisations operating in Syria are proxies of the international war against Syria, one to which neighbouring countries, Turkey, Jordan and Israel partake in. These states constitute the combat and logistic supply lines for those organisations. Given that no army is capable of effectively securing all of its borders, during the initial stages those supply lines were opened by the neighbouring states. Eventually the terrorist organisations took full control of the border check points and the Syrian government lost total control of those land conduits except for the ones with Lebanon.
As with all other neighbouring states, the border passage points became totally under the hands of the terrorist organisations which enabled ISIS for example, to rely almost entirely on Turkey when bringing in terrorist fighters from all over the world and also to take refuge there when needed. This also enabled Al Nusra Front free and safe passage to and from Israel for hospitalisation and receiving the multi-faceted support from Jordan. As for Lebanon, its role in serving the offensive against Syria was disabled after the Syrian Army and the Lebanese Islamic Resistance were able to take full control of the border. After this development the Syrian Army was able to pass on border security with Lebanon to relevant border control authorities.
As for inflicting loss and damage to the supply convoys of terrorists along the borders by the Syrian Army, it continued, but this does not mean that the Syrian Air Force was able to effectively stop it totally as its virtually impossible to keep an effective 24/7 control on a borderline that is 2500 km in length, especially that the air force was continuously in demand for urgent combat and support missions for its ground forces.
The Saker: In your opinion, how important is the aid offered by Iran and Hezbollah to the Syrian government forces? Hezbollah has admitted that close to 500 of its soldiers have died so they are clearly involved in combat operations. What about the Iranians? I have been told numerous times that Syrian officers are very well educated and the Syrian solider very good. So what are the Iranians and Hezbollah forces offering to Syria which it would not have domestically?
General Htaite: Iran and Hezbollah are partners with Syria and the axis of resistance and they consider that defending Syria is tantamount to self-defence rather than offering help to an ally. They both know the American plan which states “today Syria, tomorrow Hezbollah, and the day after Iran”. I wish to note that during the initial stages of the war, and before any Iranian or Hezbollah involvement in the war, on one television interview, a supporter of the Syrian opposition said to me “we (i.e the armed opposition) will head for Lebanon as soon as Bashar al Assad is toppled in order to uproot Hezbollah”.
Based on this, the support of Iran and Hezbollah for Syria aimed that Syria does not fall and that the offensive against it will not be able to reach its objectives. As for the support they [Iran and Hezbollah] provide, it is multi-faceted. Hezbollah for example offers combat support and is partaking side by side with the Syrian Arab Army in confronting the terrorist military groups and it has willingly accepted to pay the price of this support. It has thus far offered the sacrifices of hundreds of martyrs but, in return, has been able to reach important achievements that resulted significantly in contributing towards the failure of the aforementioned attack plans on Syria. The biggest achievement perhaps has been the development in the Qalamoun region, which resulted in isolating Lebanon and depriving the terrorist organisations from their supply lines coming from Lebanon and, preventing them from encircling Damascus.
As for Iran, it has thus far been primarily providing political support and a strategic back up and it translates this practically by financial support and by offering services and a limited number of military experts to cooperate with Syrian military leaders on analysing field situations and forming defence plans. It is also diligent in establishing confrontation strategies and, last but not least, it is seemingly prepared to send actual troops, if and when needed, but, the zero hour for this decision does not seem to be imminent because, on the battle ground, Syria has the upper hand.
The Saker: Do you consider that Russia has done enough to help the government of Bashar al-Assad or do you think that Russia could realistically do more and, if yes, what could and should Russia be doing? What about China? Has China provided assistance of any kind to Syria? Some are saying that Russia is “dropping” Syria or, at least, Assad. Do you believe that this is true?
General Htaite: Thus far Russia has played a positive and effective role in favour of Syria. One might argue that Russia took that decision a bit more than six months too late because, in the beginning, Russia appeared to be taking the position of a spectator, seemingly convinced that this is an internal Syrian affair. Russia might have been deceived by different reports or was unsure of the ability of Assad to be steadfast. It might have believed the various opposition reports which predicted the fall of Assad within the first three months. But, all of this has changed and the first positive action that Russia took in favour of Syria was in September 2011 when Russia, together with China, vetoed a Western sponsored UNSC resolution that was meant to repeat the Libyan experience in Syria.
Ever since then and with more Russo-Chinese vetoes, against further Western attempts at the UNSC, Russia and China isolated the UNSC and prevented it from intervention against Syria and President Assad. Further along, they played a role in the chemical weapons file and in preventing a direct American attack on Syria.
The current Russian stand ensures a form of international balance in as far as this Syrian crisis is concerned. As far as support is concerned, the tenacity of Russia regarding its presence and ability its naval vessels to move in and out freely from the port of Tartous offers significant combat and psychological support to the Syrian Arab Army which relies heavily in its fire power on Russian supplies. In the field of information and intelligence, Russia avails much of this domain for the discernment of Syria.
Some argue that Russian help could be bigger and this argument can have its justifications, but we see that Russia cannot offer more help without risking a Western retaliation, especially keeping in mind that Ukrainian situation and the economic sanctions already in place.
China, on the other hand, is not in the habit of speaking out about what support it provides and always prefers to work outside of the media spotlight and, in this respect, it stood by the side of Russia with the UNSC Veto’s and it also seems to be offering modest economic support.
The Saker: I have the strong feeling that there is an anti-Shia “Crusade” waged nowadays by the USA, Israel, Turkey and the KSA and that the events in Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, are all part of an attempt to crush the Shias. Is that correct? How important is the religious factor in this war?
General Htaite: The war in the region is a confrontation between two agendas; a colonialist, usurpers’ agenda, led by America with Europe and some regional states, especially Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and a sovereign liberationist agenda led by the axis of resistance that is comprised of Iran, Syria and the (Lebanese) resistance and, whose strategic ambience has expanded into Iraq and Yemen. Because the demographics of the axis of resistance is predominately Shiite and, because the colonialist, usurper’s agenda needs to rally up support, it raised the banner of sectarian war and diverted the struggle into a sectarian struggle, but this is not the truth. The party who is resisting in Syria is the Syrian Arab Army with a 70% Sunni majority. The real nature of the struggle is political rather than sectarian and, if one examines the modus operandi of the terrorist organisations, one would find that they kill more Sunnis that Shiites.
As for Wahhabism, its Takfiri doctrine, literally means, considering any non-Wahhabi Sunni a heretic. And, when you look at what happened to Christians in Iraq and to Sunnis in both Syria and Iraq, it becomes clear that the war is not against Shia because they are Shia, but rather the offensive and the current war are targeted against the culture, people and history of the region. The axis of resistance deals with this war based on the above and, this is why you find within it many non Shia.
However, if the Wahhabis continue to insist that the war is a war against Shia only as you mentioned in your question, then this is only to rally up the masses and to serve Israel which constantly capitalises on religious and sectarian strife.
The Saker: Are the US, Turkey, Israel and the KSA working together towards the overthrow of the government of Bashar al-Assad or is each one of them pursuing separate goals? Some have speculated that the KSA was not happy with the way the USA handled the crisis and that it now has stepped in to wrestle control of that war for itself. Is that so? Who is, in your opinion, the most powerful player in this game and who has the upper hand in prolonging this misery, and are they really aiming for fracturing the country…?
General Htaite: The aforementioned states have one common target and that is to coerce Syria out of the axis of resistance and topple Bashar al Assad in order to achieve this objective. However, from that point onwards, each one of them has its own vision of a new Syria that they are trying to reinvent.
Turkey wants the new Syria to be its gate to the Arab world in order to re-establish the Ottoman Khilafat and to regain some former glory. Saudi Arabia on the other hand wants the new Syria to become a Saudi strategic satellite which will enable it to regain its sphere of influence in Iraq and to be able to single-handedly control Lebanon. Israel, on the other hand, wants it to be a weak, toothless entity that does not constitute any danger whatsoever, either with its own army or with any resistance it supports. To this effect, Israel does not care if Syria ends up in either Saudi or in Turkish hands for as long as Israel is an ally and a friend of both. As for America, it wants to see the weak Syria-to-be totally outside the axis of resistance and within the axis of obedience to America, either directly or via its Turkish or Saudi proxies.
This is why we find that the main objective of the war is to defeat Syria and it is a common objective for all its enemies but, restructuring the new state, after the government collapses, if it collapses, remains a highly contentious issue, especially between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
When it comes to who is in control of the terrorists on the ground right now, the upper hand fluctuates between Turkey with Qatar by its side and Saudi Arabia with Jordan by its side. When it comes to the actual clout of this party or that party, it suffices to say that the situation on the ground is fairly unstable and no one can predict which of the two parties will have the final upper hand.
The Saker: Why are the governments Israel, Jordan or Turkey not horrified at the emergence of the Islamic State right across their border – do they really believe that the Takfiris will not turn against them? The same questions applies to the March 14 alliance parties – do they not fear the Takfiris so close to their borders?
General Htaite: All of those states are members of one consortium that is engaged in an offensive against Syria, with an American leadership and using the terrorist organisations as tools. They are not independent entities that work independently from America. Therefore we do not believe that those states fear or need to fear those terrorist organisations and, Israel has said that openly more than once when it declared that Al Nusra is not an enemy of Israel. In practical reality, Israel offers Al Nusra logistic and medical support and treats its wounded fighters inside occupied Palestine. It is wrong to think that the terrorist organisations have their own agendas that are separate from the prime agenda and which may endanger the interests of the contributing states.
As for the March 14 alliance , it is nothing more than an collection of weak personalities, trying to seek money and power, and who have been recruited to protect their masters, the original conspirators, by virtue of being able to side-line the resistance and bogging it down into the Lebanese quagmire. For this reason, they feel secure because, first of all, they are getting paid for what they are doing and, secondly, because they share with the Takfiris the fact that they have the same boss who does not allow its agents to fight each other unless it is absolutely necessary in order to achieve the end goal and, when such conflicts happen, they don’t last long.
The Saker: What about the members of the March 8 alliance? Is Hezbollah the only party which unequivocally supports Bashar al-Assad and is willing to send fighters to help the government, or do parties such as the FPM or Amal also support Assad and, if yes, how?
General Htaite: Within the March 8 alliance Hezbollah is the only organisation with military capability that is battle ready. Recently however, some training and recruitment of members of secular parties that see themselves targeted by the Takfiris, has taken place. The Syrian Socialist National Party (SSNP) and the Communist Party are on the top of this list. As for the Tayyar movement, it has not entered the military domain and it is hard to say whether it has any military capabilities to fight in Syria, it, nevertheless gives ongoing, overt political support to Hezbollah.
The Saker: What would happen if the IS was allowed to overthrow Assad and if the Takfiris took control of Damascus and the rest of Syria. What would be the consequences for that? How would that impact the region and where would the Takfiris turn next? .
General Htaite: We thus far remain confident that Syria and the axis of resistance are capable of standing up against the offensive. We clearly see that the leadership of the enemy has changed its targets and strategies and moved on from a strategy based on fragmentation and control to a strategy that targets at splitting the region into two parts; one with and one against and, to have those two fight each other until mutual annihilation.
As I have said earlier, we find it highly unlikely that either Assad or Damascus would fall, and as you know, Khamenei said that he is prepared to offer one million martyrs to prevent Syria from falling. With that said, and assuming that the impossible is not impossible, if Syria falls the region is going to witness a scene of utmost horror, of massacres, mass displacements, demographic changes that will end up with the total annihilation of Christians, Shia, and all minorities in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and, Libya will then look like a tiny miniature of this scene.
The Saker: thank you very much for your time and answers!
excellent interview .kudos to The Saker.
the last paragraph gives an uneasy feeling..
Thank you very much Saker and General Htaite for this fantastic interview. Saker, you have this ability to ask all the right questions and General Htaite, your knowledge and wisdom come through in each of your words.
This interview come at the right time and provides the right information in this constantly changing saga.
One the best interviews. Content clarifies the complex situation and makes the argument that Israel is handmaiden to Takfiris. We know all the other devils who sponsor and finance and arm the liver-eaters. But this sews the loop around the Israelis.
Syria may be one of the most complex military conflicts in modern history. The stakes are enormous.
Russia is involved (not mentioned here in the interview) in a strong diplomatic approach to lead a new military answer to the ISIS challenge.
That resistance effort will show the military projection of RF. I believe that China, too, cannot long stand in the shadows and watch. The Turkic exploitation of the ISIS brand with the Uyghurs has been met with Chinese outrage and demand that Turkey cease and desist. It all filters through Syria and the safe areas for training along the Turkey-Syria border.
The takeaway from these developments is that ground zero of the Resistance is Syria,not Donbass.
Tkank you Saker and Gen. Htaite for excellent interwiew. This is best analysis what I ever read regard of current situation and Syria and ME.
Thanks to Saker and General Htaite for providing an insight into the Syrian war not otherwise available.
It seems to me that another complex and unstable actor is Turkey. It would be great to get an analysis of the situation in Turkey.
Thanks again!
Saker,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now but never commented. This illuminating interview with General Htaite has made this site a “must visit” for me now. Thanks to you both.
Dear Saker! thanks for publishing this interview ! Thanks to General Amine Htaite for speaking out
I always curious what it exactly what it means when people say ISIS. To mean it is a brand and not really a political, military or even terrorist entity in itself, certainly not an organized government.
Don’t get me wrong of course there are terrorist militants on the ground but are any of them really card caring members per say, or does any militant takfiri group whether they are Al Nursa just get the ISIS label from the west.
Do rows and rows of white toyota hyluxi really belong to ISIS? I find it interesting that those pictures always show toyotas with consistent ISIS branding within the photo, but the photos are not consistent with each other. Does ISIS have a continuity marketing expert making sure only consistently branded toyotas are in the frame of the picture?
In the if the FIB after a year manage to convince a mildly mentally ill teen with no friends to by some guns with FIB money, is called ISIS inspired. Likewise so is a lonely teenage girl who is given a fake online boyfriend, when the FIB give her free tickets to Europe, well she is aiding and abetting ISIS. Sounds like a complete crock.
I guess my question is, is there really any connection between brand ISIS and takfiri militants in Syria is it more or less a meaningless label.
Great interview, Saker, thanks a lot to you and General Htaite.
I found crucial this statement of Htaite: (…) it becomes clear that the war is not against Shia because they are Shia, but rather the offensive and the current war are targeted against the culture, people and history of the region.(….)
With this in mind then you can understand the feelings of all those who seek to destroy Syria and its ancient culture, dating back to the dawn of civilization itself. Because Syria has always existed, unlike Jordan and the KSA itself, which were created by the colonial powers from nowhere, in the desert sands, where there was previously only tents, putting there the correspondingly subsidized puppet tribe, the Hashemites and the Saud.
If you destroy the culture and memory, the path to usurpation and domination is easier, because nothing remains to prove that you are the intruder there, nor any national identity which can be the basis for an organized rebellion for self-determination.
Salam elsi,
Excellent observations and insights. Kudos to you.
The early adherents of Jesus (as) are Arabs who live in ME and not Greek/Romans/Europeans. These early Christians survived the advent of Islam, and have lived peacefully with Muslims since the inception of Islam until now.
Not only there is a genuine threats by The Tribe to get rid of these early Christians but to destroy the history as Jesus (as) never existed.
And, then there is another thingy going on by The Tribe, that Mohammad (saws) wasn’t born and lived in Mecca (Becca), but was born and lived in Becca Valley, Syria. And, that he didn’t migrate to Yatrib (Medina).
Prophet Mohammad (saws) is from banu Hashem and his mighty uncle abu Sufyan is from banu Omayyad, the House and the Pseudo House which hates and kills the Holy House of banu Hashem, the Ahle Bayt, the Holy House of Prophet (saws).
Even the real Jews are Arab too, the real Semites.
Best regards,
Mohamed
Salam,
As an example, Sayyid Imam Hassan Narsallah, Ayatollah Sayyid Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Sayyid Imam Ali Sistani, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamene, Ayatollah Sayyid Imam Kamal al-Haydari are from The Holy House of banu Hashem, The Ahle Bayt, the Holy House of Prophet (saws). Not the Kingdom of Jordan…..
These religious scholars wears black turban and not white turban and are addressed as, “Sayyid, Syed …..)
Best regards,
Mohamed
Prophetic words by Wilfred Thesiger, about US culture:
“The long-term effect of American culture that extends to every corner, over all the deserts and valleys will be the end of mankind. Our extraordinary greed for material possessions, the way we feed, lack of balance in our lives and our cultural arrogance will kill us all before a century unless we learn to stop and think. It may already be too late”..
Highly recommended his book on travels in Rub- Al Khali “Arabian Sands”
Salam Dearest Sister elsi,
I have read his book about the Rub- Al Khali (Empty Quarter) where he starts his first journey from my beloved Oman, Salalah Oman. I have visited the outskirts of the Empty Quarter, from the Oman side.
He has also visited the Wahiba Sands, or Ramlat al-Wahiba, Oman.
The culture, people and religion will always evolve and the habits will change. But what is dangerous is the envelope is constantly being pushed by The Tribe on religion. Christianity gives in very quickly and this creates a very dangerous situation for Islam leaving it in isolation. A recent example of my beloved President Carter, where he claims that if Jesus was with us today, he will accept the same sex marriage. Of course, both prostitution and same sex people thrive in all ages and in all times. I bet they was there, in Jesus time too!
A good example is where Christianity abandoned the concepts of Tahara and Niddah in 12th century. In Judaism in OT, the blood of men and heifer is holy, whereas the blood of women is pollution. Not so in Islam, whereas blood exposed to air, whether it is from men or women is dangerous.
In Islam, we have a concept of “Renewer”. Every century an individual comes along and renews the religion and bring vigor back to Islam. He/she is slowly, slowly recognized for the contribution and chosen by the future generations. It looks like the 20th Century Renewer honor will go to Ayatollah Imam Sayyid Hussein Khomeini. Muslim won the war then, where Shah was hell bent to destroy Islam in the ME.
The nuclear agreement with Iran is nothing and there is no danger in bringing Iran into the fold. The Islam has already been renewed and revived by Ayatollah Imam Sayyid Hussein Khomeini during his lifetime and there is no danger to Islam for a long, long while.
Of course, The Tribe will keep on pushing the envelope!
Best regards,
Mohamed
Salam dear brother Mohamed,
As demonstrated by the curious or bold enough travelers, with rare exceptions, meet the Arabs and Islamic world is to love them.
I have visited the Yemeni side, known as Ramlat-Al-Sab´atayn, south western border of the Rub-Al- Khali, travelling from Ma´arib to Hadramawt. So beautiful, I have fond memories of that trip.
I still do not know Omán, would you recommend me?
Best regards.
** China
[…O]n July 14, 2006, Hezbollah used C-802 anti-ship cruise
missiles to hit an Israeli naval ship off Lebanon, an attack that
killed four crewmembers, according to surprised U.S. and Israeli
officials. […]^1
Where C-802 = export upgraded version of the Chinese anti-ship
missile YJ-8
[…T]heir [Israeli] navy is threatened by the land-sea missiles
supplied to Hezbollah by China, which are now equipped with an
anti-jamming system that they lacked in 2006. Finally, their air
dominance will not resist for long to the proliferation of
Russian S-300, currently being shipped to the region. […]^2
** Russia
[…I]ndeed, Russia and China have opposed their veto at the Security
Council four times already concerning proposed resolutions which
authorise or prepare for an attack on Syria. By opposing their
veto, Moscow and Beijing did not simply refuse to support these
resolutions. They entered into diplomatic conflict with the
authors of these projects, and confirmed that they were prepared
to wage war on them if they should make a unilateral decision to
pursue their projects. […]^3
[…L]ET THERE BE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, the strategic support for
Damascus by Moscow and Beijing in no way signifies that they
would send their troops to defend the country against the
jihadists who are bleeding it dry – they have not done so yet,
and they will not do so – just that THEY WILL NOT ALLOW the
Western powers to use their own weapons to destroy the Syrian
Arab Republic. […]^3 [Emphasis mine]
1. U.S.-China Counterterrorism Cooperation: Issues for U.S.
Policy, Shirley A. Kan, Aug 3, 2009,
http://www.voltairenet.org/IMG/pdf/US-China_Counterterrorism_Cooperation.pdf
2. Strategy shift in the Middle East, Thierry Meyssan, 16 May,
2010 http://www.voltairenet.org/article165434.html
3. Syria – the rhetoric and the truth, Thierry Meyssan, 13 Aug
2015, http://www.voltairenet.org/article188411.html
Thank you, Anonymous, for this excellent collateral. I hope you will take a name for yourself and comment again so we can become accustomed to your valuable input.
Meyssan and Voltairenet are always useful sources for scarce information and perspective. And it’s good to see confirmation from this interview that Russia and China are perceived in the region as performing necessary and crucial work. This is partly in the background, and partly in the full light of global diplomacy, and in both cases unwavering and supportive. After all, two holders of the five seats of UNSC cannot be expected to act in as dynamic a fashion as freedom fighters with boots on the ground. Not yet, at least.
It is heartening to realize that Russia and China are acting to prevent the western powers from setting their own boots on the ground – and if that stage were to be reached it would then become reasonable to see Russian and Chinese military assets in the field also.
Saker and General Htaite, thank you for this excellent interview. Also Ghassan Kadi, whose translations and personal analyses we have recently been introduced to (along with Intibah Wakeup, and Sharmine Narwani). Syria and the Middle East are complicated. And Saker, all this recent analysis from regional inhabitants and commentators feels to me somewhat the way a drowning man feels clutching at the rope thrown down to him. Much gratitude.
> I hope you will take a name for yourself
Done, thank you for bringing it to my attention.
** Shia (to get the idea)
[…J]ust like how the Houthis are not Iranian proxies, there is no
Shia alliance between Tehran and them in Yemen either. Talk that
focuses on this simplistic sectarian narrative hides the
political nature and motivations of the conflict in Yemen and
insultingly obfuscated the struggle of the Houthis against
repression. Until the 1970s the House of Saud had actually been a
major supporter of the royalist factions in Yemen, which were
predominately Shiite Muslims.
[M]oreover, the Shiite Muslims in Yemen are not Jaffaris
(Twelvers) like the majority of Shia Muslims in Iran, the
Republic of Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
the Persian Gulf region. Aside from pockets of Ismaili Shiites –
which can arguably be called Seveners – in the governorates of
Saada, Hajja, Amran, Al-Mahwit, Sana, Ibb, and Al-Jawf most the
Shia Muslims in Yemen are Zaidis/Zaydis. The Ismailis in Yemen
are mostly members of the Dawoodi (Davidian) and Sulaimani
(Solomonian) sects of Mustali Ismailism that moved away from the
larger Nizari Ismailis. […]^1
** Russia
[…T]wo ballistic missiles have been shot from Mediterranean to
Syria, and DAMAGED THEMSELVES at sea, on September 3rd [2013].
[…] [Emphasis = sarcasm, mine]^2
1. The Geopolitics behind the War in Yemen (II), Mahdi Darius
Nazemroaya, 31.03.2015,
http://m.strategic-culture.org/news/2015/03/31/the-geopolitics-behind-the-war-in-yemen-ii.html
Did a Chinese-Russian-Iranian Coalition opposing NATO Debut in
Moscow? Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, 23 Apr, 2015,
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/252469-moscow-conference-international-security-nato/
VERY MUCH recommended, additionally.
2. The US and Israel test Syrian radar frequencies, 5 Sep, 2013,
http://www.voltairenet.org/article180088.html
Syria: A Russian messenger missile, Général Amin Hoteit, 16 Jun
2012, http://www.voltairenet.org/article174661.html
;) as well.
** MUST READ x those who can read French:
Entretien avec Geopolitika: Après l’accord États-Unis/Iran, le
monde se réorganise,
Slobodan Eric, Thierry Meyssan, 14 Août 2015,
http://www.voltairenet.org/article188259.html
Which dovetails perfectly w/ the topic currently at the table
(Syria).
Others will need to wait for a translation at voltairenet.org/de
(/en, /es, and so on) O( days ) as f( popularity/extent of a
given language ) normally, Meyssan’s 1st language being French.
(Forget about fancying to read this article, an interview, via
any machine translation.)
Voltairenet.org && twitter BTW:
Réseau Voltaire @reseauvoltaire
Voltaire Netzwerk @voltairenet_de
VoltaireNet @voltairenetorg
Thierry Meyssan @Thierry_Meyssan
Above article,[Meyssan] Les événements actuels se poursuivront néanmoins tant
que l’
Entretien avec Geopolitika: Après l’accord États-Unis/Iran, le
monde se réorganise,
Slobodan Eric, Thierry Meyssan, 14 Août 2015,
http://www.voltairenet.org/article188259.html
as an one-liner: [Meyssan] LA GUERRE A DÉJÀ ÉTÉ
GAGNÉE. [My emphasis, and I could not be more in agreement]
= War won already.
[Meyssan cont’d] Les événements actuels se poursuivront néanmoins
tant que l’on fournira des mercenaires, de l’argent et des armes
aux jihadistes.
Etc.
From my own experience [O( years )]:
** Most accurate/deep/informed/sound source on Syria = Meyssan,
Hoteit and a couple of others. (Let’s say these = tele, 110+mm lens.)
** #1 accurate/deep/etc. source on Near- (I am European, hence
it’s not Middle to me) East as a superset (including Syria as
proper subset) = Nazemroaya and a couple of others.
(Wide-angle/portrait: 35-85mm lens.)
You can’t go wrong by following Meyssan, Nazemroaya, Hoteit.
(Focus on those.) (Hoteit more easily translated in FR.)
Good stuff! This is the kind of stuff that I’d definitely would like to read more of on the saker. I’m glad that I come here every now and then. Good questions to an informed person, and rather objective, too. Things like this make the site a valuable source for everyone who’s not buying the mainstream or other sideways propaganda. Of course everything, everywhere needs to be read with a grain of salt, but here’s a good example of a point of view that’s not pressuring the reader to emotional judgements. My sincere thanks!
In agreement with all the above, an excellent interview and good for morale.
Saker, this is a remarkable document. Congratulations! This is the best analysis of the current situation I know of.
Dear Saker, this is the most interesting and important article that I have ever read. This man, the General is the most understandable man in the Universe. Thank you so much Saker for the work you do. I am so proud to know you and the men and women you support.
Dear The Saker,
Thank you so much for conducting this crucial interview with General (Ret.) Amine Htaite.
For those who haven’t followed Syria closely it gives them the full spectrum picture of what really is going on. For those of us who have been following this unfold for the last few years it gives us great heart and hope – though it also fortells what will happen if Assad and Syria falls – please God this never happens.
Rgds,
Veritas
A truly excellent interview and one of best precis’ of the Syrian conflict I’ve read yet.
Thanks so much.
Am so pleased too to have confirmed what I have long suspected: the conflict in the M.E. is not truly religiously sectarian.
It looks as though the various factions are becoming less effective as the affected populations unite to beat them: the news that the Syrian Kurds have thrown their lot in with Assad will certainly throw a spanner in the US/Turkey ‘Kurdistan’ books.
Maybe the Turk Kurds will opt for a fat chunk of Turkey instead?
It would serve the monumentally-deluded Erdogan right.
Thankyou to both The Saker and Ghassan for this rather pragmatic and informative article…it is obvious to all who have been concerned and anxious about Syria,s fate. that the entire world is fast changing with many encouraging developments, ..ie since the much more dire and pending invasion of Syria in 2013 of overt ‘western airstrikes and soldiers’ … The Brics bloc has strenghtened its collective move away from ‘the imperial hegemon’ led by City of London New York and Brussels (real power in U.S is still based in New York ).. many of the imperail vassals ,are far from ‘loyal subjects’ .. and ready to jump ship at the right time.. with more and more testing the waters of how far .. (ie Switzerland just announced its lifting sanctions on Iran formally).. many E.U nations are more overtly questioning the Sanctions against Russia.. etc… all of this is good news for Syria.. :)
Apologies, I forgot to thank Ghassan Kadi for the translation. Thanks a lot Ghassan!
As a non-Arab Canadian, I intends to agree with General Htaiti’s description of the “Axis of Resistance” and its significance in regional war against the US-Israel colonization.
It was former president George Bush’s Jewish speechwriter turned Atlantic magazine senior editor David Frum who took credit for coining the term, Axis of Evil for Israel’s enemies like Iran, N. Korea, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas in 2002.
Thirteen years after, it’s the Iran-led Axis of Resistance (Iran, Syria and Hizbullah) which is fighting the US-Israel created terrorist proxies in the Middle East. In fact, now the Resistance Bloc has been joined by Iraq and Yemen since the US-proxy regimes have been kicked out of those countries.
The Jewish-controlled western media has been painting the Axis of Resistance as anti-America and anti-West alliance. However, in reality, the alliance materialized to fight against regional dominance of Israel and its poodles in Washington, London, Paris and Berlin. Syria though governed by anti-religion Ba’athist party, carries great strategic importance to the Islamic Republic in order to provide military aid to regional Islamic groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah fighting the Zionist entity’s expansionism to fulfill its Eretz Yisrael dream.
http://rehmat1.com/2015/08/15/the-axis-of-resistance-and-the-us-israel-terrorism-in-me/
A very accurate analysis. I’m sure he knows that if Syria falls to Zionist-backed forces, Lebanon will be re-invaded. They thought they could invade Lebanon in 2006 after they forced the Syrian Army out using the false flag assassination of Rafic Hariri. Hezbollah put a stop to that. You have to wonder, why is it that al-Qaeda and Israel list the exact same people as their enemies. With Israel’s open support for al-Qaeda in Syria, the cat is out of the bag. They are Israel’s greatest ally in its attempts to demonise the Arab world and portray all Arabs as “terrorists”.
It’s interesting how the Zionists and their puppets constantly use false flag attacks. Is there anything more despicable than killing innocent people so you can blame it on your opponent? They have a long history right up until the present day. The Lavon Affair, the attack on the USS Liberty, the murders of both Christian and Muslim leaders in Lebanon to spark the Lebanese Civil War which Moshe Sharett admitted to in his memoirs, the Hariri assassination, the chemical attack in Damascus, the “unknown snipers” in Kiev and MH17. It’s not really surprising I suppose considering that Mossad’s motto is “By deception thou shalt wage war”. If only people knew the truth. Any support for Israel and their Jewish fifth column in other countries would evaporate overnight.