{"id":281924,"date":"2024-12-09T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=281924"},"modified":"2024-12-05T07:28:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T07:28:04","slug":"how-the-us-and-israel-quietly-revived-al-qaeda-allies-in-syrias-idlib-offensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/12\/how-the-us-and-israel-quietly-revived-al-qaeda-allies-in-syrias-idlib-offensive\/","title":{"rendered":"How the US and Israel Quietly Revived Al-Qaeda Allies in Syria\u2019s Idlib Offensive"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A fighter from the extremist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group takes part in a military manoeuvrer with live ammunition in Idlib,Syria on 17 Aug 2023. Anas Alkharboutli | AP<\/p><\/div>\n

4 Dec 2024 <\/em>– As Syrian opposition forces, spearheaded by the Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, intensify their offensive to seize more territory after capturing Aleppo, Washington has distanced itself from the attack\u2014a remarkable reversal, considering its longstanding support for weaponizing so-called \u201cmoderate rebel\u201d groups based in Idlib.<\/p>\n

Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. government secretly poured billions into a covert operation<\/a> designed to topple Bashar al-Assad\u2019s government. The CIA\u2019s Timber Sycamore program, one of the agency\u2019s most expensive undertakings, at its peak, funneled<\/a> $100,000 per Syrian militant trained\u2014many of whom would ultimately fight under the banner of Al-Qaeda-linked factions.<\/p>\n

The full extent of Washington\u2019s complicity was laid bare in leaked cables, which revealed a startling admission from Jake Sullivan, then-Deputy Chief of Staff, to Hillary Clinton in 2012: Al-Qaeda \u201cis on our side in Syria<\/a>.\u201d Brett McGurk, the National Security Council\u2019s coordinator for the Middle East, later labeled Idlib as \u201cthe largest Al-Qaeda safe haven since 9\/11<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a 2020 subcommittee hearing<\/a> of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Dana Stroul, who would later become the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for the Middle East under the Biden administration, argued that \u201cRussia and Iran do not have the resources to stabilize or rebuild Syria.\u201d She pointed out that the Syrian economy, already reeling, was \u201ccontinuing to spiral downward,\u201d a situation worsened by the economic crisis in Lebanon and the U.S.-led sanctions regime.<\/p>\n

Stroul went on to suggest that \u201chere is the opportunity,\u201d advocating for a proactive approach. She proposed the U.S. begin planning how to \u201cleverage the next outbreak of violence to reinvigorate a political process.\u201d Stroul went on to emphasize that this strategy should include U.S. rapprochement with Turkey, along with maintaining a firm stance on political matters, sanctions, and the denial of reconstruction aid.<\/p>\n

The objective has been unwavering: to drive Iran out of Syrian territory and compel Damascus to forsake its alliance with Lebanese Hezbollah. This ambition is more than strategy\u2014it is a vision to reshape the region\u2019s balance of power in favor of Israeli and American interests.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of the HTS\u2019s capture of Aleppo, the United Arab Emirates and the United States seized<\/a> the moment to push forward their vision of a new Middle East with calculated precision, extending an offer that speaks to the heart of Syria\u2019s struggle: sanctions relief in exchange for severing ties with long-time ally Iran.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the pro-regime change lobbyist coalition, calling its American Coalition for Syria, held meetings with US officials in Washington during its annual day of advocacy, where there was advocacy<\/a> for financing al-Qaeda-linked groups. According to a report published by The Grayzone, Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott\u2019s chief of staff reassured the Syrian opposition advocates that \u201cthe Israelis want you guys in charge.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n