Assad Conditions Meeting Erdogan, ‘If It Serves Syria’s Interest’

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia's special envoy to the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow (dpa)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia's special envoy to the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow (dpa)
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Assad Conditions Meeting Erdogan, ‘If It Serves Syria’s Interest’

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia's special envoy to the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow (dpa)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia's special envoy to the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow (dpa)

The recent statement of the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, in Moscow surprised many Russians and others, who sensed a victorious tone.

Assad did not refer to the political path to resolving the Syrian crisis and imposed conditions for normalization with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He told Channel One Russia that the negotiations began at the security level and the level of defense ministers, noting that officials are discussing the meeting at the level of assistant foreign ministers and may reach the foreign ministers.

Assad asserted that the most critical issue is maintaining the national interest.

The results of Assad's visit to Moscow may be related to the faltering efforts to announce a breakthrough in normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara. The Kremlin hoped that the talks would result in clear agreements.

During the talks, President Vladimir Putin deliberately set premises, indicating the success of the Russian armed forces in undermining the terrorist threat.

Putin prioritized ensuring internal stability and improving the economic and living situation.

In the meeting between the two foreign ministers, Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that more favorable conditions for moving towards a political settlement concerning Syria have matured.

Lavrov noted that Moscow seeks to reach fair agreements based on Security Council Resolution No. 2254.

In response, the Syrian position lauded the Russian role in sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the need for all illegal foreign forces to leave the country.

In press statements after the meeting, Assad touched on several issues related to Syria's position within the Russian axis in the face of the new world war.

He escalated his rhetoric against US policies, affirming his country's recognition of the "new Russian borders," and mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, describing him as a puppet of the West.

Assad touched on all the issues on the international agenda as an essential part of the axis of the ongoing Russian war. However, he did not refer to the political settlement in Syria, the Syrians' dialogue, or improving his country's disastrous living conditions.

Meanwhile, Assad maintained his declared positions on the normalization issue with Türkiye and renewed his conditions for meeting Erdogan.

He mocked the statements of Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who claimed the Turkish presence in Syria was not an occupation, ignoring the suggestion put forward by Russia, which confirmed Türkiye’s readiness to withdraw according to understandings that meet the security interests.

It is possible to proceed from the Kremlin statement to investigate the results of the Russian-Syrian summit, mainly since all official Russian statements ignored the ideas put forward by Assad.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the two presidents discussed several issues, including military-technical cooperation and the normalization of relations between Damascus and Ankara.

Peskov explained that the talks could result in a decision in the coming weeks or months to sign an essential document on further trade and economic cooperation development.

He described the negotiations as substantial, noting that senior officials briefed both presidents.

A Russian diplomatic source said that Assad's media statements and behavior during the negotiations were surprising, as the Syrian president was unwilling to delve into the principles of a political solution.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat the source said it was unfortunate that the Syrian president was unaware how unstable the situation in the de-escalation zone in Idlib was, and that coordination with Türkiye was an essential guarantee for arranging this matter later.

A source familiar with the talks said a clear message was conveyed to the Syrian leadership about the need to deal seriously and positively with the issues. Based on that, it was agreed that Syrian and Turkish officials would start meetings.

A diplomatic source recalled that the Russian Ministry of Finance refrained from responding to the Russian and Syrian Economic Committee's requests regarding funding some projects or giving loans due to the lack of guarantees.

The situation requires a special decision approved by the special monitoring authorities to maintain federal laws.



Israeli War Planes Pound Beirut Suburb, Hezbollah Strikes Back

 Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP)
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Israeli War Planes Pound Beirut Suburb, Hezbollah Strikes Back

 Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut known as Dahiyeh, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP)

The Israeli military pounded Beirut's southern suburbs with airstrikes on Tuesday, mounting one of its heaviest daytime attacks yet on the Hezbollah-controlled area after the defense minister ruled out a ceasefire until Israeli goals were met.

Smoke billowed over Beirut as around a dozen strikes hit the southern suburbs from mid-morning. After posting warnings to civilians on social media, the Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh area of southern Beirut, including command centers and weapons production sites.

It said it had taken steps to reduce harm to civilians and repeated its standing accusation that Hezbollah deliberately embeds itself into civilian areas to use residents as human shields, a charge Hezbollah rejects.

In northern Israel, two people were killed in the city of Nahariya when a residential building was hit by a missile, Israeli police said.

Israelis were forced to take shelter across the north as attack drones were launched from Lebanon, the military said. One hit the yard of a kindergarten in a Haifa suburb, where the children had been rushed into a shelter, rescue workers said. None were hurt.

An Israeli strike back across the border killed five people in the Lebanese village of Baalchmay southeast of Beirut, and five more were killed in a strike on the town of Tefahta in the south, Lebanon's health ministry said. Another person was killed in a strike in Hermel in the northeast, it said.

Beirut residents have largely fled the southern suburbs since Israel began bombing it in September. Footage of one strike shared on social media showed two missiles slamming into a building of around 10 storeys, demolishing it and sending up clouds of debris.

Ignited by the Gaza war, the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah had been rumbling on for a year before Israel went on the offensive in September, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.

Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows, killing many of its leaders including Hassan Nasrallah, flattening large areas of the southern suburbs, destroying border villages in the south, and striking more widely across Lebanon.

Since hostilities erupted a year ago, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,287 people in Lebanon, the majority in the last seven weeks, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Hezbollah attacks have killed about 100 civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon over the last year.

WAR GOALS

Israel's new defense minister Israel Katz said on Monday there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon until Israel achieves its goals.

"Israel will not agree to any arrangement that does not guarantee Israel's right to enforce and prevent terrorism on its own, and meet the goals of the war in Lebanon - disarming Hezbollah and its withdrawal beyond the Litani River and returning the residents of the north safely to their homes," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had said earlier on Monday there had been "a certain progress" in ceasefire talks but the main challenge facing any ceasefire deal would be enforcement.

The Lebanese government, which includes Hezbollah, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire based on the full implementation of a UN resolution that ended a war between the group and Israel in 2006.

The resolution calls for the area south of the Litani to be free of all weapons other than those of the Lebanese state. Lebanon and Israel have accused each other of violating the resolution.

Israel's offensive has driven more than 1 million people from their homes in Lebanon, causing a humanitarian crisis.

Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the area over the last year.