Orientul Mijlociu

APPLY THE LOGIC OF THE AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL TO SYRIA

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its twelfth month. Reporting on the conflict understandably focuses on the day-to-day fighting and destruction, but it is important for Americans and U.S. policymakers to understand the larger issues raised by the war and the U.S. role in it. The following Defense Priorities analysis aims to improve understanding of these issues and what U.S. policy should prioritize as the war continues.

Map of Ukraine and contested territories

Apply the logic of the Afghanistan withdrawal to Syria

Key points

  • The logic President Biden used for removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan applies to Syria. Since a U.S. intervention should be defined by clear, achievable goals, and since long-range strikes, instead of occupying forces, can accomplish U.S. counterterrorism goals, there is no good case for keeping U.S. troops in Syria either.
  • Around 900 U.S. forces currently occupy territory in eastern and southern Syria, risking conflict with Syrian forces and local militias, as well as Russian, Iranian, and Turkish forces.
  • ISIS’s territorial caliphate in Syria was eliminated in 2019. The few, small, remote areas the remnants of ISIS now hold are largely within territory held by Syrian government forces. Local forces can fight the remnants of ISIS.
  • None of the other standard rationales for keeping U.S. forces in Syria—protecting the Kurds, countering Iran and Russia, unseating the Assad regime—justifies keeping troops in Syria either.

That Time US Forces Tore Hundreds of Russian Wagner Group Mercenaries to Pieces in Syria

It’s been one month since Russia invaded Ukraine. What Vladimir Putin and much of the world originally expected to be a quick and easy victory over their smaller neighbor has rapidly devolved into a military disaster for Russia. The Pentagon estimated more than 7,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the invasion started, while NATO believes the number could be as high as 15,000. Russian generals continue to die, and reports are describing mass desertions and fratricide on the front lines. As much of the world celebrates the modern David versus Goliath story, cracks in the veneer of Russia’s supposed military might have shone through long before the invasion of Ukraine, and a four-hour battle that unfolded in Syria in 2018 is one of the most striking examples.

Drone Strike on Iranian Military Plant Sends Message to Tehran

  • A late January drone strike on a military production plant in Isfahan, Iran, purportedly conducted by Israel, was likely intended to send a message to Iranian leaders that they are vulnerable to attack.
  • The strike is unlikely to change Iran’s behavior but signals Israel’s intent to escalate if Iran continues to advance its military technology projects.
  • U.S. officials appeared to tacitly welcome the strike in light of Tehran’s escalation of its uranium enrichment program, its repression of protests, and its supplies of armed drones for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
  • Iranian leaders insist that Iraqi Kurdish territory is being used to facilitate Israeli operations against Iran.

Regime Appoints Major General Ali Samra as Director of the Air Defense Department

Ali Tawfiq Samra was appointed director of the Air Defense Department of the regime’s militias, according to Shaam Network.

Media sources close to the Assad regime revealed the appointment of an officer with the rank of Major General named Ali Tawfiq Samra as director of the Air Defense Department of the regime’s militias. The Assad regime decided earlier to appoint Major General Samra, commander of the 26th Division in the regime’s militias. He was also serving as deputy director of the Air Defense Department before being appointed as its director recently.

More Turkish Drones Showing Up

Having useful weapons platforms can do wonders for a country. One nation that is currently reaping the benefits of having such systems available for export currently is Turkey.

Turkey has been able to produce Drones that have proven to be effective in various conflict zones. The TB2 Drone has been used successfully in the Civil War in Libya, The most recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nogorno-Karakbah region and is one of the factors that has changed the initiative in the fighting in Ukraine.

Saudi-Egypt tension rises

Speculation is growing about a crisis between Saudi Arabia and Egypt manifested in relations between senior figures in both countries. Tension has come to the surface during the serious economic crisis in Egypt since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago.