Khamenei Claims the Fall of Assad's Regime Was a 'Joint Plan' by the US and Israel with Help from a Neighboring Country

The leader of the Islamic Republic described the rapid fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria as a 'joint plan' by the US and Israel, stating that a neighboring country played a 'clear role' in this event without naming it specifically. On Wednesday, December 12, Khamenei commented on the involvement of the 'neighboring country,' stating that 'everyone knows this,' but emphasized that the 'main agent, conspirator, and planner' behind the collapse of Assad's regime are Israel and the US. It appears that Khamenei's reference is to Turkey, which several regional experts have acknowledged, noting that the collapse of Assad's government has shifted regional developments in favor of Turkey. Turkey is considered one of the most important supporters of armed Syrian rebels, and with the diminishing influence of Iran and Russia in the Syrian political scene, Turkey has become the main player in this arena. Khamenei's remarks come three days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, which had remained in power for over a decade with the direct and open support of Iran and Russia, employing widespread violence against its domestic opponents. Over the past decade, the Islamic Republic of Iran has played a significant role in favor of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war by extensively deploying its military forces and Afghan and Pakistani nationals residing in Iran under the two brigades 'Fatemiyoun' and 'Zeinbiyoun,' in exchange for financial assistance and residency cards in Iran. In the Islamic Republic's terminology, these military personnel were referred to as 'Defenders of the Shrine.' However, the Iranian government has never confirmed direct military intervention in Syria and has always referred to these individuals as 'advisors.' The significance of Syria for Iran and the Islamic Republic's support for Hezbollah in Lebanon was such that over the years, Israel targeted several commanders of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria in response to Tehran's regional influence, including notable figures such as Hossein Hamadani and Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Following Assad's fall, significant blows have also been dealt to the military bases and remnants of his military arsenal, which continue to this day. After the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the former Secretary-General of Hezbollah, on whom the Islamic Republic had invested heavily for decades, Khamenei, in an Arabic speech, urged the youth and members of Hezbollah not to be 'disheartened' and promised them victory despite all the failures of the 'Resistance Axis' in the region. In his speech on Wednesday, Khamenei reiterated this promise and claimed, without mentioning the defeats of Iran's proxy groups in the past year, 'I tell you that by the grace of God, the scope of resistance will encompass the entire region more than ever before.' Khamenei added, 'This is the Resistance Front; the more pressure you apply, the stronger it becomes. The more crimes you commit, the more motivated it becomes. The more you fight them, the broader it becomes.' He also claimed that 'the areas occupied in Syria will be liberated by the valiant Syrian youth; do not doubt that this will happen.' Syria is considered the main communication route between Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and after significant blows from Israel to the key human forces of this group and its military equipment, it played an important role in Iran's influence in the region. Although widespread criticism of the Islamic Republic's failure to provide military support to Bashar al-Assad has emerged among supporters of the government in recent days, the newspaper 'Javan,' affiliated with the cultural and artistic institution 'Islamic Warriors,' wrote that despite these criticisms, 'the silence of political and especially military officials in the country... is full of unspoken truths and is a sign of action, not inaction.' Meanwhile, Khamenei stated, 'We were prepared even in these difficult conditions. They came to me and said that all the necessary resources for the Syrians today are ready, and we are ready to go. The skies were closed, the ground was closed, the Zionist regime and the US closed both the skies of Syria and the land routes; it was impossible. This is how the situation is.' He also pointed to the lack of motivation among the Syrian army to defend Assad's government, adding, 'If motivations remained in that country and they could have a say against the enemy, the enemy could not have closed their skies, nor could they have closed the land routes. They could have been helped.' Hossein Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, also claimed on December 20 that despite the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, Iran has not been 'weakened' in the region and the policy of 'overthrowing' Israel will continue. However, critics argue that regardless of human and political casualties, none of the promises made by Islamic Republic officials regarding the return of financial investments in Syria have been realized for Iran. In response to these criticisms, Khamenei said, 'We helped the Syrian government, but before we helped the Syrian government, at a critical moment, the Syrian government made a vital contribution to us. Most people are not aware of this.' He described this 'contribution' as the Syrian government cutting off an oil pipeline that transported oil to the Mediterranean and Europe during the Iran-Iraq war, with the money going back to Saddam's pocket... The Syrian government also benefited from this oil transit. They also gave up that money. Of course, they got something in return from us. That is, the Islamic Republic did not leave this service unpaid.' Although state media had widely promoted Khamenei's speech in the days leading up to it, the speech was not broadcast live. No explanation was provided in this regard, and the public relations department of the Islamic Republic's broadcasting organization stated that decisions in this area are made by the public relations office of the Supreme Leader. Khamenei called for action against negative analyses regarding developments in Syria. In another part of his speech, he warned those whom he claimed 'empty the hearts of the people and scare them' about the type of analyses they present. He said, 'No one inside should do this, and if someone speaks in a way that empties the hearts of the people in their analysis or expression, it is a crime and must be dealt with.' Khamenei also added that some provide similar analyses with Persian-language media abroad, which, according to him, 'should be dealt with differently.' However, Khamenei did not provide any explanation regarding his threats and the type of actions he intended. His remarks came after Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the head of the Supreme Court, warned: 'There will definitely be a severe response to those who pour water on the enemy's mill in cyberspace and falsely seek to promote the enemy's power.' Montazeri added that 'the cyberspace and the enemy's use of it has increased significantly, and the lies threaten the spirit and psyche of the people, and unfortunately, some elements also pour water on the enemy's mill from within the country.' These threats were made following increased criticism within Iran regarding the Islamic Republic's policies in the Middle East and analyses suggesting a domino effect of regional developments and the potential for it to spread to Iran.