Iran Creating Another ‘Southern Suburb’ Near Damascus https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4065791/iran-creating-another-%E2%80%98southern-suburb%E2%80%99-near-damascus
Iran Creating Another ‘Southern Suburb’ Near Damascus
The shrine of Sayyidah Zeinab south of Damascus. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
Damascus, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Iran Creating Another ‘Southern Suburb’ Near Damascus
The shrine of Sayyidah Zeinab south of Damascus. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
Iran is seeking to revive its expansion near the Syrian capital, Damascus, which it has always sought to do and was previously thwarted by Russia. Iran's objective is to create another “southern suburb”, commonly known as Dahieh, like the Hezbollah-dominated one in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The plan is to expand Iranian influence in the towns of the southern Damascus countryside adjacent to the Sayyidah Zeinab area.
Iran intends to do so by scaling up its purchase of homes and establishing new camps in areas adjacent to the zones of influence of Russia, which is currently preoccupied with its war in Ukraine.
The southeastern countryside of Damascus includes many towns and villages. The most important and largest of them are Babila, Yalda and Beit Sahem. These towns administratively belong to the Damascus countryside governorate and cover an area of about four square kilometers.
The Sayyidah Zeinab area, located about eight kilometers from Damascus, on the highway leading to Damascus International Airport, is the main stronghold of Iranian militias and their proxies in the southern countryside of Damascus.
Iran claims it is defending the Sayyidah Zeinab shrine, which is visited by thousands of Shiite pilgrims from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Before the war erupted in Syria about 12 years ago, most of the population of Babila, Yalda and Beit Sahem were Sunni Muslims.
After Damascus regained control of the area in the summer of 2018, through a reconciliation agreement sponsored by Russia, many local families started returning to the towns.
These families were approached by strangers looking to buy their homes and real estate. Only a few agreed to sell their properties.
Later, it became clear that those buying the houses were the families of fighters from militias affiliated with Iran.
Sources pointed out that many of the Iranian-backed militia fighters who moved into the area are originally from the Shiite towns of al-Foua and Kefraya in Syria’s Idlib countryside.
US Senators Introduce Legislation to Repeal Syria's Caesar Acthttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5156359-us-senators-introduce-legislation-repeal-syrias-caesar-act
Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani (2nd L) looks on as US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack raises the flag of the United States at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus, Syria, May 29, 2025. (AFP)
US Senators Introduce Legislation to Repeal Syria's Caesar Act
Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani (2nd L) looks on as US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack raises the flag of the United States at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus, Syria, May 29, 2025. (AFP)
US Senators Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Rand Paul introduced on Thursday a bill repealing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019.
“The legislation reflects a growing recognition that while the Caesar Act achieved its goal of isolating the Assad regime, it now risks obstructing Syria’s path toward stability, democracy and reconstruction,” they said in a joint statement.
“Repealing the Caesar Act would end broad-based economic sanctions while preserving US tools to hold Syrian officials accountable,” it added.
The act was named after a defector from the Syrian army, who smuggled thousands of photos that document the torture and violations committed in Syrian prisons. It was designed to hold the Assad regime and its backers to account for their war crimes and human rights violations.
“The Syrian people have a generational opportunity to write a new chapter for their country and the entire Middle East,” said Shaheen. “For too long, the brutal Assad dictatorship, propped up by our adversaries Iran and Russia, has ruled with an iron fist. And for too long, the Syrian people have endured a devastating civil war to rid themselves of this oppression.”
“We can keep the new Syrian authorities accountable without decimating the economy. Sustained diplomatic engagement can yield tremendous results,” she stressed.
“I look forward to working with Special Envoy Thomas Barrack to support the Syrian people’s aspirations for democracy, stability and security,” she added.
For his part, Paul said: “For years, I’ve opposed broad sanctions that hurt innocent people more than the regimes they target. While the Caesar Act was intended to isolate the Assad regime, it has ended up punishing everyday Syrians, fueling poverty, crippling recovery, and blocking progress toward peace.”
Senator Rand Paul pauses to speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP)
“This repeal is about restoring a more targeted, principled approach that holds bad actors accountable without inflicting unnecessary suffering on the very people we claim to support,” he stated.
Matthew Levitt, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, said it was logical to end the Caesar Act after the reasons for its adoption are no more.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that it was enacted to tackle the grave human rights violations committed in the Assad regime’s prisons. With the ouster of the regime, there is no need to keep it in place.
Pressure
Meanwhile, Dr. Murhaf Ibrahim, head of the Alawite Association of the United States, said it was important to bolster Syrian-American ties on all levels, to lift sanctions and for the United States to display political and economic openness towards Syria.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said that in order to boost these ties, they must align with American values related to diversity, democracy, decentralization in state management and respect of human rights.
So far, the government of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has not committed to these principles, he stressed.
He called on the US Congress to hold the government to account over its pledges to address violations and hold their perpetrators responsible.
It must also review the political and constitutional measures it has taken so far and that have sparked criticism because they do not represent the entire Syrian population, he went on to say.
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen speaks during a press conference with fellow Democratic senators calling on the Trump administration to continue Medicare drug price negotiations on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, January 22, 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian-American lobby
Ahed al-Hendi, Senior Fellow at the Center for Peace Communications in Washington, underlined the importance of the legislation because it was issued by the Senate, which first enacted the Ceasar Act, not the president.
Action by the Congress demonstrates the existence of Syrian-American lobby that did not make do with pledges made by the American administration, he said. Rather, it is working hard to secure bipartisan support to turn President Donald Trump’s words in Riyadh into political and legislative action in Washington.
Even though the administration has still not shaped a clear policy on Syria, the removal of the Caesar Act will help open a new chapter in relations and deliver a clear message that the lifting of sanctions is a necessary step in Syria’s reconstruction, he added.
It will also underscore government efforts to consolidate civil peace, respect minorities and avert regional escalation, he said.
Syrian activist Ayman Abdelnour said the removal of the Caesar Act will no doubt revive Syria and push forward reconstruction efforts.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that lifting the sanctions will allow the American administration to assess the performance of the new Syrian government on the political, economic and social levels.
