Arab League Warns Iran Not to Fuel Conflict Among Syrian People

The Arab League rejected recent statements by Iranian officials regarding Syria, deeming them aimed at fueling conflict and "sedition" in the country. In a statement released on Thursday, January 6, the Arab League's secretariat expressed concern over recent events in several Syrian cities "that occur with the aim of igniting sedition in this country." The statement added: "In this context, the recent statements from Iran, which aim to incite sedition among the Syrian people, are rejected." The statement did not refer to any specific Iranian officials. Recently, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian Foreign Minister were among the Iranian officials who commented on Syria. Mohsen Rezai, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guard and a current member of the Expediency Discernment Council, wrote on social media that the youth of Syria will "revive resistance in this country in a different form" within less than a year. In the official rhetoric of the Islamic Republic, proxy groups or militias aligned with Iran in the region are referred to as "resistance." Additionally, Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stated on state television that it is too early to judge the situation in Syria, both for Iran and for others who believe victories have been achieved there, adding that "there will be many developments in the future." Previously, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated that the youth of Syria "have nothing to lose" and that a "strong honorable group" will emerge in the country. The Arab League's statement also emphasized the necessity for all parties to respect Syria's independence, territorial integrity, and stability, as well as the government's control over all weapons and the rejection of destabilizing foreign interventions. Iranian officials have not yet reacted to the Arab League's new statement, but Iranian media have reported the earlier comments of Ismail Baqai, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, regarding Syria. According to ISNA, Baqai described Iran's interference in Syria's internal affairs as "baseless accusations from certain media circles" and deemed it "completely rejected." The statements from Iranian officials regarding Syria come at a time when several cities in Syria have witnessed protests and clashes over the past two days, and the new government in the country has announced the start of operations "against the Assad regime's agents." The new Syrian army administration announced the start of operations "against the Assad regime's agents." The release of a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine led to protests and demonstrations in various parts of Syria on Wednesday, resulting in at least one death in the city of Homs. On Thursday, 14 police officers were killed in the suburbs of Tartus, and the new Syrian government announced that they were killed by supporters of Bashar al-Assad. Earlier on Tuesday, Assad al-Shibani, the Foreign Minister of the transitional government of Syria, warned Iran about the "spread of chaos in Syria," stating on social media that Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and the sovereignty and security of the country. Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Iran lost a key ally in the region, and according to the new Secretary-General of Hezbollah, the route for transferring weapons through Syria to Lebanon has also been disrupted. The appointment of a new head of the Syrian intelligence agency was announced by the state news agency SANA on Thursday, stating that Ahmad al-Shara, the leader of the rebels and his interim government, appointed Anas Khattab as the new head of the intelligence and security agency. The news agency described this appointment as part of efforts to rebuild state institutions following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The appointment of Khattab was announced during a time when armed clashes were ongoing between the newly empowered forces and supporters of Bashar al-Assad in the west of the country, resulting in at least 17 deaths. Khattab, 37, from Jirud in the outskirts of Damascus, studied architecture at Damascus University and went to Iraq in 2008 to "fight against American occupiers." He joined the al-Nusra Front in 2012 under the combat name "Abu Ahmad Hudud," which later changed its name to "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" after separating from al-Qaeda. Khattab played a significant role in the group's control over Idlib province and was the deputy of Ahmad al-Shara during the eight years of rebel rule in Idlib. Concurrently, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Thursday that the new Syrian government arrested General Muhammad Kanjou Hassan, responsible for the field court at the notorious Sednaya prison near Damascus, in his hometown in Tartus province in western Syria. General Kanjou Hassan was one of the senior security officials in Assad's regime. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Minister, whose country has granted asylum to Bashar al-Assad, stated on Thursday that Turkey's security interests in Syria are understandable. Sergey Lavrov, in a year-end press conference in Moscow, added that Russia seeks dialogue with the new Syrian authorities on regional issues. Russia, alongside the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah, has been one of the key factors in the survival of Bashar al-Assad's regime during the 13-year civil war in Syria. However, following the severe weakness of the "resistance axis" due to Israeli attacks in the past 14 months and Russia's involvement in its own war in Ukraine, "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" managed to push from Idlib towards Damascus in 11 days, bringing Assad's regime to the brink of collapse. Mr. Assad has sought refuge in Russia since December 9.