Review of Arab Press; When and How Will Iran Exit Syria?

Despite various ongoing issues in many Arab countries, the Syrian civil war remains at the forefront of the media in these nations. A common theme in reports and analyses published in many of these outlets is the role of the Iranian government in this war. Makram Mohammed Ahmed, a prominent Egyptian writer and journalist, in an article in the newspaper "Al-Ahram" titled "When and How Will Iran Exit Syria?" addresses not only the connection between Iran and the Syrian civil war but also Iran's support for the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and groups in Iraq. This Middle East expert believes that currently, Iran's "military aid" to these groups has effectively positioned them as "decisive parties in the fate of war and peace in the Middle East." He adds that "Syria is a hostage of Iran." As noted in many analyses by political commentators on the Middle East, Makram Mohammed Ahmed also refers to Israel's benefit from the presence of Iranian forces in Syria. He writes, "Since Israel has declared the presence of Iranian forces in Syria as a threat to its existence, it has seized the opportunity to create a powerful movement in the U.S. Congress, even calling for the annexation of the Golan Heights to Israel." The Golan Heights is part of Syrian territory that was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Prior to the civil war in Syria, the governments of Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad did not take any political or military action to reclaim this area. The recent missile launches attributed to Iranian forces from Syrian territory towards the Golan Heights have met with immediate Israeli responses, resulting in an officially unknown number of Iranian forces killed in Syria. Makram Mohammed Ahmed writes, "Bashar al-Assad and his foreign minister, Walid Muallem, have denied that Iran has military forces in Syria besides advisors, but how is it that reports indicate the deaths of even more than a thousand Iranian military personnel in Syria?" He does not predict a timeline for the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria but states that Israel's persistent efforts to convince Russia that Iran's continued presence and influence in Syria is not in Moscow's interest, increased economic and political pressures from the U.S. on the Iranian government, the growing problems in the relations of many Arab countries with the Iranian government, and the increasing dissatisfaction of the Iranian people with the government's policies will ultimately force Iran to withdraw from Syria. Regarding how realistic this opinion and prediction will be, we must wait for the future. However, before that, other developments in Syria continue to be reflected in the Arab press, including the Lebanese newspaper "Al-Anwar," which reports that recently, groups of Russian forces in Syria have been transferred to areas near the Syrian-Lebanese border. Has this transfer been made to control the Syrian-Lebanese border? "Al-Anwar" has remained silent on this matter. "Al-Siyasa" in Kuwait has addressed the situation in another part of Syria, the northeastern region, stating, "It seems that the U.S.-Turkey agreement known as the Manbij Agreement is not as simple in practice, as Turkey demands the disarmament of Kurdish militants before their withdrawal from Manbij, while the U.S. considers Kurdish groups as its partners in the fight against ISIS." This newspaper has also reflected the statement of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who said, "U.S.-Turkey cooperation in Syria will not replace Turkey-Russia cooperation regarding Syria." According to the "Manbij Agreement" signed between the foreign ministers of Turkey and the United States, the withdrawal of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces from "Manbij" and other cities in the region is set to begin after their disarmament. The duration of this cooperation will be six months, which, according to "Al-Siyasa," the Turkish foreign minister has assessed as a valuable opportunity to eliminate recent tensions in Turkey-U.S. relations and expand the long-standing friendship between the two countries. Alongside Makram Mohammed Ahmed's question regarding Iran's exit from Syria, the question of millions of displaced and stranded Syrian citizens in this civil war is, when will all non-Syrian forces, including representatives of the Iranian government, exit their country, and when will Assad hand over power to the true representatives of the people so that they can build a new foundation for future generations on the ruins of Syria? It seems that the near future does not hold a clear answer to this question. In this context, Netanyahu: Israel and European powers agree on the necessity of Iranian forces' exit from Syria; Trump: U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA has changed Iran's behavior in the region; Israeli official: European leaders agree on ending Iran's military presence in Syria; Turkish officials' statements regarding increased military operations in Qandil, Iraq; Reuters: Pro-Iran forces protest the deployment of Russian forces at the Syrian-Lebanese border; Netanyahu: Khamenei explained how he intends to destroy Israel; Changing the game for "proxy forces"; War against the people in the streets of Iran; Iran's crisis; Responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society; Death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis.