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Aimee Cutrona: Woman of Syrian Origin at the National Security Council

Aimee Cutrona. Photo Courtesy of US State Department
Aimee Cutrona. Photo Courtesy of US State Department
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Aimee Cutrona: Woman of Syrian Origin at the National Security Council

Aimee Cutrona. Photo Courtesy of US State Department
Aimee Cutrona. Photo Courtesy of US State Department

The administration of US President Joe Biden appointed Aimee Cutrona of Syrian origin as Acting Special Representative for Syria Engagement at the National Security Council.

The White House said that Cutrona “has extensive experience supporting US diplomacy in the region.”

The appointment came shortly after Biden took office last January.

Cutrona began her career in 1999, serving her first assignment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Since then she has served as a Political Officer in Embassies in El Salvador, Qatar, and Egypt.

She also served in Washington in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau, covering Iraq, Algeria, and Tunisia, and as a special assistant to the then Under Secretary for Global Affairs including on efforts to promote International Women’s Issues and combat Trafficking in Persons.

Cutrona is a graduate of Smith College and holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Conflict Management from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

She also serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs as President Biden has still yet to nominate a new person for the post.

Barbara Leaf, the former ambassador to the UAE, who serves on the National Security Council’s Middle East team at the White House, is a top contender for that position.

Cutrona’s appointment comes during a critical stage of the US-Syrian relations, particularly after the US President ordered last month airstrikes in Syria that the Pentagon said targeting by Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for rocket attacks on US targets in Iraq.

Last week, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said it is time to reach a real political solution in Syria, adding that: “This is the only way to bring sustainable peace, stability and security to the Syrian people.”

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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
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Israeli Army is Setting Up Rapid Response Unit on Border with Syria

Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)
Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles in the eastern part of Aleppo province, in Syria, on Sunday. (Aref Tammawi/AFP)

The Israeli military has announced the formation of a special rapid response unit in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to fend off threats from Syria, when necessary.

Commander of the 210th Bashan Division Lieutenant Colonel Yair Palai said the unit would operate as an effective attack force capable to launch in seconds and prevent threats on Israel similar to the one Hamas launched on October 7, 2023.

“The Unit will be prepared 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of events,” he said.

“In the case of any security incident, the Unit will strike the enemy mercilessly. There is no possibility of failure, because this unit depends on constant vigilance,” Palai said.

The unit, which is comprised of elite soldiers from reconnaissance units and special reserve units, will operate under the 210th Division.

Sources said the unit has fully mobilized and operated continuously over the past three months.

Its goal was initially to counter Iranian, Syrian, Yemeni, Iraqi or other militias that might operate from the Golan against Jewish settlements there.

But recent developments in Syria compelled the army to prepare for any additional threats.

Last week, Syrian army soldiers were killed in a major attack by opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, who swept into the city of Aleppo in the northwest, forcing the military to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar Assad in years.

On Tuesday, Haaretz said the Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian opposition assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

If such weapons fall into the hands of the opposition fighters or Iranian militias, Israel would have to act in a way that “may affect Syria and the entire Middle East,” according to Haaretz.

The report said that after the country's civil war, Assad tried to rebuild his chemical weapons production facilities, with most having been removed from Syria under an international agreement. But a substantial part of the chemical weapons project, particularly the knowledge accumulated over the years, still remains in Assad's hands.

Haaretz wrote that Israel has relayed messages to the Syrian regime via the Russians insisting that Assad assert his sovereignty and bar Iran from operating from within Syria.

“The army is monitoring with concern the surprise Syrian rebel offensive on Assad strongholds in Syria that began last week,” it said.

Also, intelligence officials believe that while the Syrian president's standing has been weakened, Iran, with Russia's support, is exploiting the chaos in order to send in tens of thousands of fighters from the armed militias that support it.

According to Haaretz, the army's current estimate is that there are 40,000 Iranian militia fighters in Syria.

In tandem with the ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Israeli army has been carrying out strikes almost daily on the border between Syria and Lebanon in order to thwart attempts to smuggle weaponry destined for Hezbollah.

Although to date there is no firm evidence that the Iranian forces plan to station themselves in Damascus, the newspaper said one Israeli diplomatic official involved in the discussions referred to this on Sunday as a known fact. “Iran has begun to send an influx of forces into Syria in an attempt to aid Assad and suppress the revolt,” he said.