Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused the U.S. and Israel of acting as the true “mastermind” behind former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad‘s downfall.
“There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the product of a joint plan between the United States and the Zionists,” Khamenei said Wednesday, in his first comments since Assad fled Syria for safety in Russia as his government collapsed in the face of an insurgency in the country’s capital.
Khamenei struck a somber tone as he spoke before a crowd in Tehran as he lamented the collapse of a key pillar in the “Axis of Resistance,” according to The Guardian. Video posted online showed the ayatollah seated alone on a platform as the crowd silently listened to his speech.
“Yes, a neighboring government in Syria plays an obvious role in this regard, and is still playing it—everyone sees this—but the main conspirator, mastermind, and command center are in America and the Zionist regime,” Khamenei said. “We have evidence. This evidence leaves no room for doubt.”
Some have taken the “neighboring government” comment as a reference to Turkey, which has backed the Syrian rebels since 2011 and could play a significant role in shaping the government that replaces Assad’s regime.
“Let everyone know that this situation will not remain as it is,” Khamenei added. “The fact that some people in Damascus celebrate, dance, and violate the homes of others while the Zionist regime bombs Syria, enters their territory with tanks and artillery, is unacceptable. The Syrian youth will undoubtedly stand firm and overcome this situation.”
Newsweek reached out by email on Wednesday morning for comment from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the U.S. State Department and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP
What Happened in Syria Last Week?
The Sunni Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group, which has Al-Qaeda origins, launched an offensive against the government on November 27, taking the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama. Other groups joined in the push, which over the course of a week saw four major cities fall out of government control.
The U.S. has classified Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as a “foreign terrorist organization” since 2012
The rebel groups reached the capital city of Damascus after taking the key strategic city of Homs on Saturday, at which point the former president fled to Russia while the rebels took the city, ending 50 years of Assad family rule.
The rebels destroyed the tomb of Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, who initiated the regime in the 1970s, according to the BBC. They set fire to his mausoleum in Al Qardaha and chanted while walking around the building.
Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images
What Have the U.S. and Israel Said About Assad and Syria?
President Joe Biden, speaking from the Roosevelt Room in the White House on Sunday, linked Assad’s fall and departure with the pressure exerted on Russia and Iran—both seen as key allies to the Assad regime who had an interest in keeping him in power and Syria in their control.
The U.S. president praised Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, and Ukraine’s staunch defense against Russia’s invasion as major factors that allowed rebel forces to take back Syria and topple Assad.
Biden made clear that the U.S. would closely monitor the developing situation in the country and any prospective leaders as they tried to take power, noting that “they’re saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions, and we are mindful.”
“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,” Biden said. “We will not let that happen. In fact, just today, U.S. forces conducted a dozen of precision strikes, airstrikes within Syria targeting ISIS camps and ISIS operatives.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement on Tuesday said the U.S., “Will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process” and is “prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.”
“The transition process and new government must also uphold clear commitments to fully respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to all in need, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that any chemical or biological weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” Blinken said.
Blinken also called for the new government to include the citizens of Syria in the next steps, and urged other nations to “support an inclusive and transparent process” without interference.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated Assad’s fall, saying that the rebel victory marked “a historic day in the history of the Middle East,” with the “liberation of the city of Damascus and the fall of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad.”
“The Assad regime is a central link in Iran’s axis of evil—this regime has fallen,” Netanyahu said. “This is a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, the main supporters of the Assad regime. This has created a chain reaction throughout the Middle East of all those who want to be free from this oppressive and tyrannical regime.”
Israel quickly deployed forces into the Syria buffer zone and launched strikes against suspected Syrian chemical weapon sites. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stressed that the country acted in the interest of “the security of Israel and its citizens.”
“That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists,” Saar said.
