Iran Claims The U.S. & Israel Have Launched An Offensive In Syria

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei, the United States and Israel are coordinating an attack on Syria.  The jihadist offensive in Syria was launched right after Israel struck a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, and Baghaei claims that it is no coincidence.

The Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra), along with allied militias, launched an assault on government-controlled territory in northern Syria last Wednesday. The jihadists seized a number of villages and towns in Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama provinces, and entered the city of Aleppo on Friday. This initial offensive started on the same day the long-negotiated ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese-based militant group Hezbollah took effect.

West Jerusalem reluctantly agreed to the ceasefire earlier in the week, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “respond forcefully” to any violations on the part of Hezbollah, according to a report by RT. 

“The concurrence of the recent developments in Syria with the ceasefire in Lebanon, and the statements of the American officials in this regard, indicate the existence of some kind of coordination and cooperation between the terrorists, the U.S., and the Zionist regime,” Baghaei said at a press briefing.

The official suggested that Washington and West Jerusalem were using the attack to “weaken Syria” and “create division and sedition among Islamic countries.” According to Baghaei, Washington has long been assisting militant groups operating in the country, while Israel is “the party that benefits the most from the developments in Syria.”

The diplomat urged “all Islamic countries” to recognize the “threat posed by the Zionist regime” and join forces in resisting its actions. –RT

“Everyone acknowledges that the Astana Process has been the most stable and successful mechanism related to crisis control in Syria in recent years. [It] is still alive,” Baghaei stated, noting that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is currently on a trip to Türkiye to discuss ways to ease the current escalation.

The U.S. has had a history of supporting certain terrorist groups and anti-Assad militias in Syria, including HTS. In a 2021 interview, a former U.S. special representative for Syria engagement James Jeffrey described the group as “an asset” to American strategy in Syria.