Syria's Al Qaeda Cast-Offs Pick A Fight With The WRONG People!

Right, so the HTS led administration of Syria, headed by the unelected and self proclaimed President Ahmed AL Sharaa, better known as Al Jolani, are still failing their own people in typical Al Qaeda fashion, as they commit atrocities against ethnic minorities in their own lands, whilst also engaging in military action with its neighbours, unless that neighbour happens to be Israel in which case they can apparently carry on invading Southern Syria with impunity, even getting away now with having made direct strikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus.
It is the recent attacks on Lebanon by these same HTS led Syrian forces however that are once again shining a light on how prepared to take military action the new administration is, as long as it isn’t Israel, whilst highlighting the deepening moral and political crisis in Syria that hypocrisy makes clear. While the Syrian government claims to champion the cause of resistance against foreign aggression, its actions tell a different story. Instead of confronting the ongoing Israeli invasion of its own territory, Syria has chosen to escalate tensions with Lebanon instead, violating a month-long ceasefire between the two having spent the last several weeks targeting ethnic minorities themselves in Syria. Will anything shake Syria’s resolve to not attack Israel whilst making war on others, especially as all new Israeli attacks were made on Syria overnight at that?
Right, so the clashes between HTS-led Syrian forces and the Lebanese army along the border have marked a dangerous escalation in regional tensions between the two states mere weeks after everything had supposedly calmed down, clashes with Lebanese tribesmen accused of assisting in the transfer of smuggled aid from Iran to Hezbollah having triggered Syria originally, matters calming after the tribespeople agreed to relocate as per agreement with the Lebanese Army.
But now we have new attacks going on, though Syria’s motivation might arguably be rather different this time. These attacks are not merely a response to perceived threats from Lebanon; they are a calculated attempt by the Syrian government to divert attention from its domestic failures and consolidate power. The new administration of Ahmed al-Sharaa, has shown a disturbing willingness to use violence as a tool of statecraft, par for the course for a bunch of Al Qaeda leftovers as this lot are, targeting neighbouring countries while ignoring the threat posed by one neighbour in particular who seem to want to make war on everyone right now to keep their own leader in power - Israel.
The timing of these attacks is particularly revealing. Syria is grappling with a severe economic crisis because HTS came in with no plan except to remove Assad. There is widespread discontent as a result of this along with the attacks on Alawite and Christian minorities, and that is on top of all of the lingering effects of a decade-long civil war.
Rather than addressing these issues, the government has chosen to externalise its problems, blaming others, much like Israel does in fact, and therefore a distraction of a conflict with Lebanon could be seen to be a diversion away from those far more important issues. Sacrificing regional stability for the sake of political survival, isn’t that exactly what Netanyahu is doing as well?
Lebanon, for its part, has responded to these provocations with remarkable resilience. The Lebanese army, has successfully repelled multiple incursions by HTS-led forces, inflicting heavy casualties and forcing the Syrians to retreat, though Syria have made other claims entirely, an excerpt from The Cradle reading:
‘Al Mayadeen reported early on 17 March that “the Bekaa valley has been under continuous shelling for three hours with rockets and artillery coming from Syrian territory.”
The HTS-led Syrian army also launched drones into Lebanese territory in recent hours.
Several rockets launched from the Qusayr countryside hit the Lebanese border town of Qasr. The shelling is ongoing, and civilian casualties have been reported on the Lebanese side, including at least one child.
Citing a military source, Al Jazeera reported that eight members of the Syrian Ministry of Defence were killed in the clashes.
The fighting began several hours after three HTS fighters were found dead inside Lebanese territory and were handed over to Damascus by Lebanon’s Armed Forces (LAF) and the Red Cross.
The Syrian Defence Ministry’s media office told Syrian state media outlet SANA that the “Hezbollah militia” kidnapped the three fighters on the border, took them to Lebanese territory, and “executed them on the spot.” Other reports say the three were already in Lebanese territory when they were killed.
Lebanese news outlet Annahar reported on Monday that two Lebanese youths were found dead in the Matraba area near the border. They were reportedly kidnapped from their homes inside Lebanon by Syrian security forces and killed.
Syrian authorities say they are fighting Hezbollah on the border, despite the Lebanese resistance movement issuing a statement categorically denying its involvement in any of the recent events.’
Hezbollah are not involved in the fighting with Syria, have issued a statement accordingly, it is the Lebanese Army fighting HTS, but Syria are playing the Hezbollah card, much as Israel constantly do when it comes to Lebanon, a nation they are of course still invading as well from the south.
The recent attacks on Lebanon also represent a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement that has been in place for the past month. This ceasefire, brokered with the aim of reducing tensions and fostering dialogue, was an opportunity for both countries to address their differences peacefully, something Al Sharaa has expressed keenness for, at least when it is Israel. However, Syria’s decision to breach the agreement underscores its actual disregard for diplomacy and its preference for a military solution in this case, presumably because Israel have issues with Lebanon too. Are you sensing a bit of a pattern here at all?
Syrian security forces have been responsible for multiple ceasefire violations, including shelling Lebanese villages and deploying HTS militants to carry out cross-border raids. By choosing to escalate the conflict, Syria has demonstrated that it is little better than Israel in its willingness to violate international agreements and inflict suffering on civilians.
The violation of the ceasefire also raises questions about Syria’s commitment to regional stability. While the Syrian government frequently condemns Israeli aggression, it never follows this up with any action of its own where they are concerned. They’re own actions in Lebanon however and indeed against their own people, suggest a willingness to engage in similar behaviour to Israel to their own ends, making them not just a bunch of terror group cast offs, but massive hypocrites as well.
The attacks on Lebanon are part of a broader pattern of atrocities committed by the Syrian government and its allies. For example, in Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, Syrian forces have carried out brutal reprisals against civilians, accusing them of supporting Lebanese resistance groups resulting in 7 dead and a further 36 wounded and this followed a declared ceasefire the day before, showing abject dishonesty on their part on top of everything else.
While Syria is busy attacking Lebanon though, it continues to turn a blind eye to the ongoing Israeli invasion of its own territory and given how much Al Sharaa seems to have in common with Netanyahu here, perhaps that is the first unsurprising thing I’ve said here. The latest Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian city of Homs that have been reported today, targeted former military bases and caused significant damage. Yet, the Syrian government’s response has been non existent, with no meaningful words let alone action taken to deter further aggression. The double standards and hypocrisy is nuts.
Israel’s airstrikes are part of a broader strategy to weaken Syria’s military capabilities and assert its dominance in the region. By targeting Homs, Israel is sending a clear message that it will not tolerate any challenge to their seeming dominance. The Syrian government’s failure to respond to these attacks is not just a sign of weakness; it is a betrayal of its own people, who have borne the brunt of Israel’s aggression for decades, more Syrian territory having been seized by Israel, on top of the Golan Heights which Israel have held since 1967.
The contrast between Syria’s aggressive posture toward Lebanon and its passive response to Israeli aggression is ridiculous, because they are attacking a state that had left them be despite the regime change and are ignoring another still actively invading them. While Syrian forces are quick to shell Lebanese villages and deploy HTS militants, they are conspicuously absent when it comes to defending their own territory and their own people.
The attacks on Lebanon, the atrocities in places like Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, and the ongoing Israeli aggression in Syria point to a Syrian administration that is out of its depth in a bathtub. It so desperately wants to be liked by Israel, yet are more than prepared to mete out attacks on other neighbouring states and even their own people showing exactly how much like Israel they can actually be.
In fact so much like Israel can they be, so much is Al Sharaa avoiding dealing with Israeli invaders, he’s even given them free reign to expand! Check out the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch.
I have to make a bit of a big announcement today as I got up this morning to find that the channel has now passed the epic milestone of 100,000 subscribers, so thank you to each and every one of you who have subscribed and watch on a regular basis to take in a Damo Rant or two and long may it continue! Here’s to the next 100,000 subscribers and I’ll hopefully therefore catch you on the next vid! Cheers folks.