Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei Calls on Syrians to Overthrow Rebel Government
Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Syrians on Sunday to rise up against the insurgents who toppled Tehran’s puppet dictator, Bashar Assad. Khamenei claimed the rebel assault that ended five decades of rule by the Assad dynasty was organized and directed by the United States and Israel.
Khamenei told a meeting of religious leaders in Tehran that young Syrians would reject the “instability” unleashed by the insurgents and would soon organize to overthrow the government led by al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
“The young Syrian has nothing to lose. His university is unsafe, his school is unsafe, his home is unsafe, his street is unsafe, his life is unsafe. What should he do? He must stand strong and determined against those who designed this insecurity and those who implemented it, and God willing, he will triumph over them,” Khamenei said.
Dissident news service Iran International caustically observed on Sunday there is absolutely no sign of the “young Syrian” doing any such thing.
“Despite the dire picture painted by Khamenei, there have been no reports of major incidents in Syria since the current leadership took control in Damascus, except tensions between Turkish-back forces and Kurds in the north,” Iran International said.
Firstpost likewise noted that huge numbers of Syrians danced in the streets when Iran’s man Assad was ejected from Damascus on December 8.
“According to UNICEF, young people constitute approximately one-third of Syria’s population. Given that, it’s reasonable to infer that they played a substantial role in these demonstrations. Their active participation in the celebrations would hint to a collective sentiment of relief and optimism for the future,” Firstpost pointed out.
Khamenei angrily denied that Assad was a vassal of Iran or that Iran has any “proxy” forces in the Middle East at all.
“They constantly say that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxy forces in the region! This is another mistake!” he exclaimed, referring to the utter devastation Israel has inflicted on Iran-supported groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
“The Islamic Republic does not have proxy forces. Yemen fights because of its faith; Hezbollah fights because its faith gives it strength to fight; Hamas and Jihad fight because their beliefs compel them to do so,” he claimed.
“They do not act as our proxies. If one day we want to take action, we will not need any proxy forces,” he insisted.
Khamenei’s remarks struck many observers as a desperate effort to distance Tehran from defeated groups it is usually proud to claim leadership of.
Iran International noted that as recently as September, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was boasting of Tehran’s “unlimited support” for the “resistance front” across the Middle East and taunting Israel for failing to “achieve its main goal of destroying Hamas.”
Hamas is looking a lot more destroyed these days, Hezbollah has been all but eliminated in Lebanon, and now, Iran’s heavy investments in propping up the Assad regime have been lost – in large part because the Syrian rebels sensed Iran was no longer in a position to protect Damascus after the decimation of its proxies in Lebanon and Gaza.
The Houthi terrorists in Yemen are the only Iranian proxy that has not suffered devastating losses since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to handle the Houthis the same way Israel has destroyed Iran’s other “terrorist arms,” following a Houthi ballistic missile attack that struck a playground in Tel Aviv.
“The U.S. and also other countries, like us, see the Houthis as a threat, not only to world shipping, but also to world order,” Netanyahu said.
“Just as we acted forcefully against the terrorist arms of Iran’s evil axis, so we will act against the Houthis…with force, determination and sophistication,” he said.
In his remarks on Sunday, Khamenei insisted Iran’s strength has not been diminished by a year of carnage among its proxy forces, and it remains determined to “resist” the United States and Israel. He also threatened dire consequences for Iranians who see an opportunity to rise up against their tyrannical government.
“The fools smell the scent of kebab,” he railed. “Anyone inside the country who chooses to serve the Americans, the Iranian people will trample them underfoot.”
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