Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00We can speak to Radwan Ziyadeh, the Executive Director of the Syrian Center for Political
00:04and Strategic Studies.
00:05He's joining us on the line from Washington.
00:07Hello to you, Radwan.
00:08Thank you for speaking to us.
00:10What struck you the most about this fighting?
00:13Hi, good morning.
00:15Thank you for having me.
00:16It's a little bit complicated, but when the opposition forces controlled Aleppo back in
00:252012, the Syrian regime depends on Russia, especially Russia intervened in September
00:332015.
00:35Now we see a total collapse of the Syrian regime forces and the forces, the Shiite militias,
00:43who the Iraqi and Hezbollah militias who supported Assad.
00:48This is why we see the total collapse of those militias who decided to withdraw from the
00:53city of Aleppo.
00:55And then the opposition forces, they came in and controlled most of the areas in Aleppo.
01:01It's of course landmark because the opposition never reached some areas in Aleppo neighborhood
01:06right now, back in 2012.
01:09It gives us maybe a hope that the Syrian opposition forces will be able to control the whole city
01:16for the first time since 2011.
01:20In the past 15 minutes, Reuters is reporting that Syrian rebels say that they have all
01:26of Idlib province now under rebel control.
01:31Do you expect that we're going to see more and more fighting in this and that the civil
01:35war will sort of be reignited?
01:39I think the Syrian opposition will control most of the Idlib because the news now the
01:45Syrian opposition control Ma'arat al-Nu'man and al-Duhur airport.
01:51Those two areas, as example, the Syrian opposition lost thousands of lives back in 2013, 2014,
02:00and were unable to capture any of these territories.
02:05Now with the collapse of the Syrian regime and with the collapse of most of the militias
02:11cooperated within the Syrian regime, it's clear that the opposition have the path forward
02:18open to be able to capture more areas, maybe go more to the south, maybe the city of Homs
02:25and in Hama.
02:26It's not clear that the Russians and other militias, the Shia Iranian militias and Hezbollah
02:33will be able to step in and to help because Hezbollah is defeated in Lebanon between the
02:39fight between Israel and Hezbollah.
02:41At the same time, at the same time, Russia is involved militarily in Ukraine and very
02:49busy there.
02:50I'm not sure we'll be able to step in and help the Assad government back here in Syria.
02:56And are you linking this uptick in fighting with the ceasefire in Lebanon at all?
03:05I don't think there is a link, because from the footages and the videos we've seen almost
03:12every second in Aleppo, most of the fighters actually are Aleppo citizen who left the city.
03:21Don't forget that Idlib used to be half a million people, Idlib now is 3 million people
03:27because of the refugees and displaced people in Aleppo and other areas.
03:32They are celebrating that because they will be able to go back to their homes and their
03:37towns in Aleppo and in other areas.
03:41It's very much complicated because it's not only Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or Al-Nusra Front
03:46control most of the opposition forces.
03:50It has five different armed opposition forces who come together to have what's called deterrent
03:58of the aggression of the Syrian regime and to be able to go back to their homes.
04:05I expect that we'll be able to have more momentum and capture more territories in the Aleppo
04:12suburbs and in Idlib suburbs, maybe to be able to reach Hama, which now most of the
04:19Syrian regime forces withdraw into the city of Hama.
04:23There's already been blame traded as to how the rebels have made these advances.
04:29Iran's Revolutionary Guards accuse Israel of supporting the rebels, others speculate
04:33it's Turkey that is supporting the rebels.
04:37What do you think?
04:39Some fractions of the Syrian armed opposition backed by Turkey for sure.
04:44But some other fractions, they are not really in good terms with Turkey.
04:51This is why I see it's the motivation of the Syrian armed forces.
04:55I think it's more internal than be triggered by external power or between external power
05:03like Turkey or the United States as the Syrian regime accused the rebel forces backed and
05:11supported by the United States and Israel.
05:14I don't think this matter anymore.
05:16This war, it's been more than 13 years.
05:19We should not forget that.
05:21And more 7 million Syrians displaced in the north.
05:25They have the resources and they have the anger.
05:29They have actually the passion to go back and to participate in any military operation
05:35to be able to air their cows.
05:37And remember that the Syrian regime has no legitimate argument and has no forces to support,
05:45has no human power.
05:47He really relies on Hezbollah and other Iranian militias like Fatimiyoun and Zainabiyoun.
05:53And those got tired and they got actually defeated and hit hard by the Israeli forces
06:00in the two-month fight between Israel and Hezbollah.
06:04This is why I think those militias who's been the backbone of the Syrian regime forces in
06:12Aleppo, it disseminated and withdrew, they decided to withdraw.
06:19And this is why the Syrian regime has no forces to step in and to keep the points.
06:26All right.
06:27Rodwin, thank you very much.
06:28Rodwin Ziadeh joining us from Washington.