Syrian rebels remove regime flag from monument
Video posted by pro-opposition media in Syria shows militants in Aleppo’s western suburbs removing the Syrian national flag from a monument.
WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the United States should not intervene in the latest conflict in Syria, where rebel forces opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime are waging a new offensive in the country’s long-simmering civil war.
“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend,” Trump said in a post on his social media site, Truth Social, on Saturday morning. “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
Trump also argued that Russia is not equipped to help defend its ally al-Assad against the most recent insurgence because of the war it is waging in Ukraine.
“Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years,” Trump said in the post.
Trump said Russia being “forced out” of Syria could be a good thing for the country because there “was never much of a benefit,” for them in the country.
Syria’s civil war began in 2011 after Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests against his rule. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions have fled overseas in the decade since the war started.
A ceasefire was brokered in 2020 between Russia, which has supported Assad during the war, and Turkey, which has backed the opposition, paused fighting in the war.
But last week, rebel forces, called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, captured Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, and have since seized control of the entire southwestern region of the country. On Saturday, insurgents reportedly entered the suburbs surrounding the capital of Damascus, where Assad and other government officials reside.
Russian forces have carried out air strikes against the rebel group since fighting picked back up over the last week.
Analysts say the eruption of new fighting is likely a direct consequence of the hostilities between Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Assad, and Israel in nearby Lebanon.
Leaders from Russia, Turkey and Iran are expected to meet in Doha on Saturday to discuss the renewed conflict, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters.
The U.S. has around 900 troops in Syria’s east and northeast.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY; Reuters
