— 🇺🇸 American Hypocrisy: In a scheduled interview between CNN and former President Ibrahim Raisi of Iran two years ago, the CNN anchor refused to wear the Hijab and the interview was canceled.

However, when former ISIS & Al-Qaeda leader Abu Muhammad al-Jolani requested it, CNN was more than happy to oblige.

@Middle_East_Spectator

HTS/ISIS sympathizer with a brother and cousin in the various militias says he would shoot hs own relatives if they tried to fight Israel.

— 🇸🇾/🇮🇷 Some thoughts regarding Iran's future role in Syria & the future of the SAA:

Just like Turkey, Qatar and the US were supporting 'opposition' factions in Syria (like SNA, HTS and SDF), Iran will probably start funding / arming factions loyal to it inside Syria, after the new government is formed.

I give it a maximum of two years before we see the first tangible results of Iranian-backed 'opposition' groups inside the new 'Free Syria'. Iran will likely try to maintain at least some sort of influence in Syria this way.

Assad was never really in the 'Resistance Axis' camp, at least not in terms of ideology; he was loosely a part of it, mostly due to geopolitical considerations and strategic necessities. Fundamentally, he was not like Hezbollah, the PMF, or Ansarullah in Yemen, who are all revolutionary Shiites in ideology.

So, it is very possible that we will see an 'Islamic Resistance in Syria' within the next few months or years. They might not actually control territory inside Syria, but they could exercise soft power and carry out qualitative resistance operations against Israel or US bases, or even against the government itself.

Also, I would not discount the presence of some former pro-SAA / pro-Assad loyalists inside Syria. People like General Suhail Hassan, commander of the 25th SMF Division (Tiger Forces) enjoy considerable popularity inside Syria, especially among Alawites and upper-class Sunnis in the major cities.

In any future civil war, I expect some of the 'old guard' of the SAA High Command to gather portions of their old units and attempt at least a limited power grab, perhaps in Latakia and Tartous, or even in Damascus. These are areas that were much more pro-Assad compared to other areas in Syria.

I'm not saying they'll actually be successful in overthrowing the future Rebel-led 'Free Syrian' Government, but Arab states like Syria are often quite susceptible to military rule. These states simply are not used to democracy, and military 'strongmen' from the former regime often end up in power.

Look at Egypt, where the regime was overthrown by Islamists in 2011, but the military (led by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi) regained power only two years later in 2013. Or for example, look at the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Haftar, a former officer in the military of Muammar Gadaffi.

Even if this doesn't end up happening, you can be sure that former SAA elements will play a significant role in Syrian politics for years to come. Most of them will publicly disavow Bashar al-Assad though, as they don't want to be identified with him anymore.

Maher al-Assad, Bashar's brother, is however sometimes said to have a promising political future. He's much more pro-Iran than his brother Bashar, and many consider him 'Iran's man' in Syria. Whether he's even still in Syria, and whether he will ever get involved in his country's politics again, remains to be seen.

Lastly, HTS (or whatever the 'Free Syrian' Government will be) needs to prove itself. It has to show the population that it can not only control the institutions and the day-to-day life in Syria, but that it can defend the country from external threats. If HTS fails to show that it can effectively rule and govern a unified and strong Syria, especially in the face of ongoing Israeli aggression, then they could easily lose legitimacy quite soon, which would ultimately have consequences as it would bring considerable challenges to their rule.

In any case, the Islamic Republic of Iran will do whatever it can to maintain at least some sort of influence in Syria. Whether that's supporting pro-Iranian factions / Shiite militias, or supporting former SAA loyalists, Iran's arm is long, and it won't disappear.

@Middle_East_Spectator

As for Russia, they will either simply leave Syria, or (more likely) they will make a deal with HTS and Turkey to ensure the safety of their bases / airfields / ports.

He got one last meme

— 🇮🇱/🇵🇸/🇱🇧 NEW: Hebrew media reports that 8 Israeli soldiers were killed and 18 injured in the past 24 hours

Today, four soldiers were killed and 18 injured when an anti-tank missile struck a truck carrying troops and explosives in Jabalia, northern Gaza.

The death toll from the minefield explosion in 'Ras al-Naqoura,' Lebanon, has also risen to four.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇶 NEW: The Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq & Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani, will give an important speech soon

@Middle_East_Spectator

Nevermind, it's not important, it's just a speech on the occasion of 'Victory Day' on the defeat of ISIS, December 10th 2017.