Israel “trying to create failed state” in Syria

By Onur Sinan Güzaltan

The tension in Syria is once again in full swing. While the Drews and Bedouin tribes seem to be on the verge of a major conflict in Suwayda, the Syrian government announced that it is deploying the army to the region. Meanwhile, Israeli aggression is once again taken the stage, this time in Syria, with bombardments on Damascus.

UWI author and political scientist Onur Sinan Güzaltan was guest to Russia Today’s live broadcast.

Just a pretext for Israel to create a “failed state”

Welcome to the program, sir. Since al-Golani took over Syria’s leadership, we’ve seen numerous reports and footage documenting the new regime’s aggression against the Drews. Does this at all justify Israel’s response?

The Drew issue is just a pretext for Israel to intervene in the internal affairs of Syria. For a long time, Israel has been using this kind of ethnic, religious and sectarian problems not just in Syria, but also in other parts of West Asia. Now what we see in Syria is nothing but the same Israeli method implemented in this issue.

I think Israel’s goal is to create a kind of “failed state” in Syria, which would serve the interests of Israel, by provoking internal divisions.

What will Türkiye do?

Türkiye has established close ties with the new Syria leadership. Why don’t we see Ankara helping Damascus against this Israeli aggression?

It’s true that there are good relations, even cooperation, between Ankara and Damascus. But don’t forget that Türkiye is a NATO member. Turkish leadership also has good relations with Washington. The Turkish government is pursuing a “policy of balance”. So, Türkiye is not looking for an open conflict with Israel. But of course, the Turkish government will defend its interest in the region.

A regional bloc of Türkiye, Iran, and Egypt

What kind of counterstrategy does Ankara have to deal with these tensions so close to its borders? Because Türkiye’s foreign minister does say Israel has a strategy of aggression.

I think the only way to stop the Israeli aggression not just in Syria but all over the region is to create a regional bloc including Türkiye, Iran, and Egypt. These three could play an important role. Why need for such a bloc? Because Israel is not alone, the US and many European countries are behind it. So, what we face here is a strong bloc.

The main issue in the region is that Israel and the US are always using ethnic, religious and sectarian differences as a pretext for intervention. These three countries can build a regional unity to prevent such internal divisions and conflicts.

The Greater Middle East Project

Israel insists that its actions are defensive, but we are seeing IDF strikes on Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, Yemen. Why is this spreading across the entire Middle East?

It is a part of the famous project: The Greater Middle East Project, which started during George W. Bush’s presidency and continued with Obama and Biden. We are still witnessing the steps of this project. They want to change the entire map of the region, to create new country/countries which will be compatible with their strategy and interests in the long run. The US doesn’t want to leave West Asia, nor does it want to retract its long-term plans by letting Russia and China be influential in the region. For that, the US is using Israel to destabilize the region.

Thank you so much for your comments.

Thank you too.