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Israel's Outgoing Defense Minister Says Iran Starting to Withdraw from Syria

Israeli soldiers at an army base in the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights look out across the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra, visible across the border on July 7, 2018. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers at an army base in the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights look out across the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra, visible across the border on July 7, 2018. (AFP)
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Israel's Outgoing Defense Minister Says Iran Starting to Withdraw from Syria

Israeli soldiers at an army base in the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights look out across the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra, visible across the border on July 7, 2018. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers at an army base in the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights look out across the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra, visible across the border on July 7, 2018. (AFP)

Iran has started to withdraw its forces from Syria, Israel's outgoing defense minister said on Monday, without offering any evidence to support his assertion.

Naftali Bennett also urged his successor, Benny Gantz, to maintain pressure on Iran, adding that the trend might otherwise reverse.

Iran has been a key supporter, along with Russia, of Bashar Assad’s regime during Syria's war, sending military advisers as well as material and regional militias that it backs.

Israel, which monitors neighboring Syria intensively, has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria targeting suspected arms and troop movements by Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah party it sponsors.

"Iran is significantly reducing the scope of its forces in Syria and even evacuating a number of bases," said Bennett in his valedictory address.

"Though Iran has begun the withdrawal process from Syria, we need to complete the work. It's in reach."

Israeli officials have suggested in the past that Israel's military operations were showing signs of success.

Iran, which is struggling economically under the burden of US sanctions and has also been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, has repeatedly said its military presence in Syria is at the invitation of Assad's regime and that it will remain in Syria as long as its help is needed.

A senior aide to Iran's foreign minister, Ali-Ashgar Khaji, reiterated on Saturday that Tehran would continue working closely with the regime and Russia to combat terrorism and find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, Iran's ISNA news agency reported.

Bennett held the position of Israeli defense minister for about half a year.

His successor, Gantz, a former armed forces chief and leader of the centrist Blue and White Party, has formed a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which took office on Sunday.

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Cairo May Request Extradition of Qaradawi’s Son from Abu Dhabi

Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
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Cairo May Request Extradition of Qaradawi’s Son from Abu Dhabi

Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)

As Lebanese authorities proceed with the deportation of Egyptian activist Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi, the son of the late cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, to the United Arab Emirates, an Egyptian source involved in the case told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo plans to formally request his extradition from Abu Dhabi once he arrives there.

Controversy has surrounded the case since Lebanon announced that the government had approved the deportation of Qaradawi to the UAE instead of Egypt, where he holds citizenship.

Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that citizenship is not an obstacle in extradition cases between countries, saying that a state may decide to extradite a person to another country even if they hold the nationality of a third state, as in the case of Qaradawi’s son.

According to Lebanese sources, the decision to extradite Qaradawi to the UAE is based on a warrant issued by the Council of Arab Interior Ministers. As a member of the council, Lebanon is obligated to comply with the UAE’s request, despite the absence of a direct bilateral extradition agreement between the two countries.

Additionally, the extradition decision was influenced by the fact that the charges against Qaradawi are criminal, not political, as political charges would prevent extradition and instead warrant protection under international conventions.

An Egyptian judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the International Cooperation Office of Egypt’s Public Prosecutor had prepared a comprehensive file containing all rulings issued against Qaradawi to ensure that the extradition request met all legal requirements. This file was sent to Lebanese judicial authorities through official channels. However, Egypt has yet to receive a response from Lebanon, though one is expected in the coming days.

Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud Mehran, a member of the American and European societies for international law, told Asharq Al-Awsat that international law generally allows extradition when the individual is either a citizen of the requesting state, has committed a crime on its territory, or when the requesting state has a direct legal interest in the case.

As Qaradawi is an Egyptian citizen, Egypt “has the legal right to request his extradition under international law and bilateral agreements, provided all legal conditions are met,” Mehran said.

Meanwhile, Qaradawi’s lawyer, Mohammed Sablouh, confirmed plans to file an urgent appeal in Lebanese courts to prevent his client’s extradition, according to Reuters. Mehran explained that extradition laws grant the individual the right to appeal in court, while the requesting states also have the right to challenge decisions.

Mehran suggested that if Qaradawi is ultimately handed over to the UAE, it is highly likely he will later be extradited to Egypt after procedural requirements in the Emirates are fulfilled. This is due to the strong bilateral relations and close security coordination between Egypt and the UAE.

Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi, who holds dual Egyptian and Turkish citizenship, was arrested in Lebanon on December 28 after returning from Syria. His arrest followed an Interpol red notice issued based on an in absentia ruling by an Egyptian court sentencing him to five years in prison for spreading false news, inciting violence, and terrorism. Before his arrest, Qaradawi appeared in a video filmed at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, where he made remarks considered offensive to both Egypt and the UAE.