Haider Abbas is a former information commissioner of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He is also a lawyer for legal issues and the cause of human rights, minorities and disadvantaged sections of society. On December 29, he published an analysis of the situation in Syria on the site muslimmirror.com Extracts.
» (…) The war will now begin between the HTS, supported by Turkey, and the PKK, the banned Kurdish organization. There are approximately 1.5 to 2 million Kurds in Türkiye who are involved in the creation of a separate nation, Kurdistan. Kurds are widely distributed in Iran, Iraq and Syria. Turkish military tanks and carriers, fighter jets and missiles have begun to deploy into Syria, in an effort to silence the PKK once and for all. Erdogan, who had turned a blind eye to the Palestinians, hastened to arm Azerbaijan against Armenia (2021), supported by Russia and Iran. The conflict ended with a ceasefire.
This is the second time Turkey has scored points against Russia and Iran, and it is now ready to engage in a new battlefield inside Syria. Israel's daily massacre of Gaza residents has disappeared from the prime time debates of Muslim nations and populations and the focus has shifted to the “celebrations” of the HTS victory! Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, Arab nations have only had “concerns” about Palestine, while Iran has supported Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Ansar-ul-Lah in Yemen against Israel.
What is the likely scenario for Turkey? International powers are now ready to enter the fray. The ensuing war between Turkey and the HTS it supports against the PKK will first attract sanctions from the United States. It won't be long. The United States will never allow Turkey to expand its borders into the Kurdish-inhabited region of Syria. Turkey's game plan is to cut Syria into pieces. Part will go to HTS, another to Israel and the rest will be divided between Alavis, etc. It is now a question of inviting Russia and Iran to support the PKK.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergie Lavrov raised the question of Syria's sovereignty in the face of Turkey's ambitions and warned Israel against the destruction of Syrian military facilities, which does not guarantee peace forever. It is not surprising that this new theater is being built on the same bases as the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, while Turkey, Israel and the United States had supported the first and Russia and the Iran had sided with Armenia. Russia and Iran had performed poorly then, but what will happen here, given the new geostrategic realities, which mainly involve Israel's expansionism in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt in the perhaps near future?
In this ongoing war, it is interesting to note that the United States and Russia (along with Iran) are now allying to defeat Turkey and support the Kurds. The United States will be pushed by Israeli lobbyists, at least as planned by the outgoing administration of Joseph Biden, to support the PKK in all its chances. The first victim will be the Turkish lira, which is already predicted to collapse to its lowest level. The Kurds inside Turkey will also be shaken. Israeli lobbyists in Europe want Turkey to leave NATO, which the United States is also reportedly seeking to do! Donald Trump, who is set to be sworn in as the next president of the United States, has already been responsible for the fall of the lira and this time again, Trump could stay true to his reputation. Turkey, an important player in the region, if it collapses, will influence new geopolitical situations.
The main beneficiary will, without doubt, be Israel. It is also worth remembering that deposed President Bashar Al Asad had supported the Kurds in their fight against Turkey-backed ISIS, aka HTS. Last June, the PKK shot down a Turkish drone, according to Medyanews 1, which could never have happened without American technology. The weight of isolation will be the burden of Turkey alone.
Iran and Russia have turned their sights on Yemen's Houthis engaged with Israel. Last year, Yemen targeted ships heading to Israel. Many European ships, including Turkish ships, were attacked in the Red Sea. On December 27, Yemen reportedly targeted Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital, after Israel had attacked the airport in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, the day before. Yemen's retaliation took place within 14 hours. Millions of Israelis took refuge in shelters.
The other war zone heating up is Russia engaged in Ukraine. Ukraine is supported by NATO, the European Union and the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly rejected Trump's peace plan, but right now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the center of power in the Middle East, Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman (MbS) is using his “special friendship » with Trump to arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. South Africa has won the tender to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Will this meeting take place? What will be the outcome when Russia also launched its deadliest Oreshnik missile not only on Ukraine but also on NATO countries. Russia has also revised its nuclear doctrine. The world has perhaps never been closer to nuclear war.
The changes that will come after January 20, 2025, the day of Trump's inauguration, are still to come. »
