Harvard researcher and UFF professor, Vitelio Brustolin, in an interview with Now CNN this Sunday (8), analyzed the recent seizure of power by rebels in Syria and the consequent fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
According to the expert, Israel played a crucial role in weakening Syrian and Iranian defenses, paving the way for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group to take control of the country.
Brustolin outlined a timeline of events that led to the current situation in Syria. “In January 2011, there was a group of people not linked to religion, initially secular, who wanted more democracy in Syria”, explained the professor. However, in March of the same year, after a violent response from the regime, jihadist groups united against Assad’s government.
Assad’s strategy and international alliances
The expert highlighted the strategy adopted by Assad: “He first fought those who were more moderate, the secularists, because he knew that if he fought these, who could be a valid option to replace him, the whole world could unite against the others. , since the others were extremists.”
Furthermore, Brustolin highlighted the importance of the alliance between Syria and Russia. “Russia has a base, it is Russia’s only port in the Mediterranean Sea, it is the port of Tartus,” he explained. “Russia also has an air base there, so Russia has a strategic interest in Syria.”
The professor also noted that Russia did not question the wars in Iraq or Lebanon, but in Syria, due to the country’s strategic importance for Russian interests in the region.
“Syria is the only Russian hot water base there in the Mediterranean and the Russian air force is very represented there”, concluded Brustolin, highlighting the geopolitical complexity of the situation.
This content was originally published in Israel, weakened Syrian and Iranian defenses and paved the way for HTS to take Syria, professor tells CNN on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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