I'd be surprised if HTS won't strike a deal with Russia. From their perspective, the Russian bases are a huge bargaining chip. The Syrian economy is in shambles. A few hundred million dollar or some help with restarting their oil business, refining or whatever, will go a long way in convincing HTS to let the Russians stay. After all, what is there to gain from kicking Russia out, now that they are in power? In German we say "Pack schlägt sich, Pack verträgt sich" - thugs beat themselves up, thugs get along
While the Israelis (and thus the USA) are literally pushing the SSG in that direction, and the Russians certainly trying their best to please: don't expect any kind of 'billions in humanitarian aid and reconstruction support' from Moscow. Pudding has no money for that: he's squandering all that's left in Ukraine.
Unsurprisingly, he can't even reconstruct parts of Ukraine he's already conquered.
Point is: Syria is too important and thus this is far from over. That's valid for any kind of 'negotiations' about the Russian bases there. Even more so because everybody should keep in mind: if Jowlani has learned any kind of a lesson from the CMO's final offensive, then that Syrians can be successful solely if operating entirely independently from outside powers.
This is why in his public appearances of the last few days, primarily in Damascus, but elsewhere too, he's also repeatedly emphasising: we, the Syrians, did it, on our own, and with our own equipment and training.
Of course, everybody and his next kin is going to try stealing that away from the CMO. And, there is a big question mark over the issue of whether different other of the talking-heads there in Syria might share that opinion. And, 'money talks'. But, I would say, Jowlani is presently as busy precisely because he's 'preaching' the same to all of them.
...which, IMHO, is why all the Western 'talking heads' that are on 'Syria information tours' in Türkiye, Jordan, and Iraq (especially in Erbil) these days, are actually wasting their time. But hey: what's better than a promo tour with lots of photos in the media, amid the German election campaign, just for example?
What are the differences between the war the RF started to the war Israel started?
1) Syria unlike Ukraine cannot put up resistance.
2) Syria doesn't even get symbolic support.
3) There is a broken armistice by Israel
4) There is a broken UN mandate (UNDOF) by Israel.
5) Israel occupies the land and expulses the population.
Besides that Israel = RF. Powermonger, looting & occupying territories, destroying as much as possible.
Both use the pretext of national security interests.
The UN is silent, but what some idiots at the UN don't realize is that by being silent the UN loses its credibility (if it ever had one) and raison d'être.
As far as I know (feel free to correct me) this is the first time that an UN member state did break an UN mandate.
...and the Trio Fantasticus, 'finally', made a related statement.
Sullivan 'expects Israel's occupation of a buffer zone in Syria to be temporary' (is that why are they running ethnic cleansing, too?), while Blinken explained that the Israeli air strikes are 'to ensure the weapons not to fall into the wrong hands'.
...the two are alliens that fell on the planet Earth about 5 minutes ago...?
Meanwhile, the peaceful, democratic, and secular Israeli minister of defence, announced that 'the peaks of Mount Hermon in Syria returned to Israeli control in a moving historical moment'...
'Returned' - perhaps by walking over to the Israeli side...?
The chosenones, can protec your land from you. Take your weapons, because you dont have the capability, and at the end, make a musical about hos victtimistm...and prior someone think about, have a loooot of "juden" Friends.
Is not about race or religion, is about some honor and respect for other humans!
Santions I didn't mention, because they didn't start with the first day and the war in Ukraine started actually 2014.
It is the weakness of Syria and disunity among the Arabs / moslemic world, because too many particular interests which allows Israel to act as it wants.
Eager to hear from your Russian side of the many more differences regarding the conduct of war.
The natural consequences would also be sanctions against Israel, at least from the arabic / islamic world.
It isn't the Arab states that provide Israel with military and financial means to invade Syria. Nor are they the one that shield Israel from consequences.
Media support is also very important. I don't see any big titles on CNN or other Western MSM outlets condemning this invasion. If they report it at all, they call it an incursion, an expansion of the buffer zone etc.
Military deterrence works with and without nukes. It is the current military impotence of Syria, which triggered Israel's war on Syria.
They didn't get any special weapons the last few days. All those years before they could have started the war in Syria, but with of course consequences. Now that they don't have to fear consequences, they act.
That alone tells more than enough about their mentality. The Israelian society is even more militarized than the Russian one.
It is no coincidence that they worship a bloody terrorist like Menachem Begin and that Yitzhak Rabin, who also having his share of blood on his hands, was the Prime Minister before Begin, was killed by the fanatic Zionist Yigal Amir.
And how much condemnation comes from eastern media? As far as I remember only a handful of Arabic States did react.
"All those years before they could have started the war in Syria, but with of course consequences. Now that they don't have to fear consequences, they act."
Israel has been bombing Syria regularly for years. Each of those strikes is an act of war. No consequences then or now.
It is absolutely ridiculous to compare the isolated bombings of the past with the current rolling air raids, where Israel bombs massively at will with impunity, even in broad daylight, because there is no longer any air defense in Syria.
Still waiting for your many examples of differnce between the war the RF started and the war Israel started.
На вашу думку як падіння Асада вплине на присутність Росії в Африці? Наскільки складною стане логістика на континент? Я читав що вони там мільярди заробляють на видобутку діамантів, золота... І чи це вплине якось на Україну, чи це тільки дасть змогу зосередити більше ресурсів проти України?
The way I see it - and I'm basing this foremost on Putin's behaviour in regards of 'forgetting' some 3,000-5,000 Russian servicemen in Syria - he can't care less about 'Africa'.
Sure, it's 'nice' to have the control over a few gold mines there, but actually: most of the income is spent on maintaining the presence of that 'African Legion' in countries like the CAR, Mali etc.
Keep in mind: for Putin, the 'African Legion' = ex-Wagner. And Wagner = disloyal SOBs (sons of b...). Which is why I also strongly doubt he's ever going to return them to Russia (from his point of view, that's a 'no-no'; they're in exile, and it's 'good' if many get killed by local enemies).
Also thanks to BRICS, he can't care less about them, nor really needs them to maintain his influence in Africa any more.
As long as Türkiye is granting overflight rights, Russia also has no problem with keeping its mercenaries in Africa resupplied. And even if: that 'business' is meanwhile primarily run via Tunisia, where more than 20 Russian merchants have docked over the last two months: many carrying contraband for the African Legion. Plus: the UAE is always 'somewhere around the corner', to lend a helping hand.
With other words: the Hmeymim AB and the Naval Depot in Tartous are 'nice to have', but no 'must'.
Captain 1st Rank Oleg Ignasyuk is (or was) the Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Defence's 'Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria'.
Here is one of examples of him being mentioned by Pudding's PRBS-industry, and then 'quoted' abroad:
That Marco Whatever.... two years ago, he began spreading outrageous lies about me in the social media. When I've tried to ask why, he merely continued lying - even when I've shown him clear, indisputable evidence that he is lying. Therefore, he then arranged for some Italian 'intelligentsia' to start making me offers 'that would be profitable for both sides', and when I've declined then they all started shit-posting me for days without an end.
The affair ended only once I have unfriended and blocked almost every single Italian on both my Facebook- and contemporary Medium-accounts.
Well-meant recommendation: do not even mention that character and associates in my presence.
Okay, so the sdf fired at the crowd after they shot first, according to that source. But you wrote simply "the PKK/PYD/YPG/SDF has opened fire at the mass protest against its regime, injuring several participants." which is factually not wrong, but I just think it's a little misleading
I'm not saying that they where right and of course I'm not trying to justify what the sdf has done. It's clear, and IT'S A FACT, that the sdf didn't just randomly shot at the protesters like Assad used to do and as you make it look like. They were shot at before. It still doesn't justify it, but you reported a news without telling the whole story which I don't think is good reporting. And the fact that you are getting angry and going on the defensive makes me think I'm right.
Ps: I read only now the comment before that you modified. I didn't know that (BTW that's interesting) and I won't mention him again.
Ever heard of the Northern Democratic Brigade ? Or Jaish al Thuwar (Army of Revolutionaries) ?
For every use and for every action, the PKK has an obvious BS fake front group. Including shooting on civilians and doing all sort of crimes under FSA flag.
I advice you to check about the Ghadab al-Zaytoun as well. Be cautious though, that was the front name the PKK/YPG used to murder Arabs deported refugees in Afrin after US officials told the YPG it is bad publicity to openly claim the execution of refugees under their most commonly know names.
Ghadab al-Zaytoun had to be dismissed quickly though because, in the spirit of inclusivity and co-existance between sects and ethnic groups, PKK death squadron had a thing about filming the execution of random Arabs civilians and publishing their warcrimes with edits replacing their victims heads with rats heads under Kurdish dakbe music and rats sounds.
BTW this is why the latest talk about the PKK/SDF suddenly joining the revolution and adopting its flag is such an obvious ridiculous BS propaganda. Back when the "SDF" were announced following US advice, the whole speech was for it to join and include the whole opposition. YPG and thus "Kurds" were even supposed to be the minority. Obviously that was a lie and the PKK and the Americans openly admitted so.
Just like it was latter admitted the fake Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups such as Jaish al Thuwar who were allegedly founding members of the SDF are in fact, Kurdish majority ...
All to say, SDF are already supposed to use the revolution flag. And they are supposed to do so since their founding in 2016. yet they spent the 8 years since then arresting or shooting people doing so.
Assad is said to have "coincidentally" transferred his assets to Russia a few days after the fall of Aleppo. If the money is actually in Russia it will be difficult to get hold of. But Putin will certainly take the money from him at some point when he needs a little money for his war. The Russian sovereign wealth fund will be empty in the foreseeable future if things continue like this. Even if it's a naive dream, I hope that a few western countries will say "here, dear Syria, you have a few hundred million as a loan or something, do what you think is right..." Unfortunately, without the necessary money, I fear that this entire revolution could be stillborn. Tom, I read that the CMO wants to revoke citizenship for Shiites granted under Assad. This mainly affects people who come from Iran. Are there rational reasons for this or is it an act of exclusion?
Banking with someone when the banker knows that you have no alternative options and no recourse against him is a really dumb idea. Maybe he's that dumb but there's an alternative of having it in crypto, with millions of crypto-retards on the ready to cash him out, so that would be my choice.
Thanks Tom. There are many selfish external forces trying to pull Syria apart. But i hope that the newfound gumption in the Syrian people to resist mistreatment, coupled with the SSG doing its best to treat people well (may that continue!), Syria will find a way.
This is a bit far fetched (maybe more than a bit). Could Israel be in southern Syria to create facilities for refugees from Gaza and the West Bank? Dump a few million Palestinians in southern Syria and then withdraw to the old cease fire line? That makes it a temporary occupation by the IDF. I can think of a lot of reasons why this shouldn’t work, but with a lot of countries exhausted by the whole mess, Israel might get away with it.
You might be onto something. At the very least it will have occurred to Smotrich and Ben-Gvir that they "suddenly" have a brand new neighbouring country with absolutely no control over its own borders, just as they were looking for a dumping ground.
It has been claimed that takfiri and ISIS-linked gangs are being used as "kapos" to help manage the starving of the populace in Gaza. It would be difficult to conduct a mass population transfer right across Israel, but the main thing is no-one can stop them. Including, I think, the armed Palestinian groups or Hezbollah: we are still waiting for the proof of the self-serving assertion which the CMO's partisans have been allowed to get away with that the new Syrian government will slot right into Ba'athist Syria's role there.
Per Assad's money, Chris P. below already mentioned that some of it is in Russia (it would be so funny if Putin would send Assad with NK troops to Kursk -- it won't happen, but would be so funny). I've also seen reports of him having bank accounts in London and Dubai (eg: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1986304/bashar-al-assad-syria-fortune-russia-moscow ), so the two financial centers that would collapse without money laundering for corrupt firms and dictators. No chance...
Israel: I got used to that Netanyahu doesn't have any other strategy than racism against Palestinians, so that he can stay in power and out of jail, but one would think this is exactly the moment when Israel should make a deal with the new Syrian government to keep it in the broad coalition against Iran. This is the perfect example that electing shallow, racist strongmen is never the solution.
I'd be surprised if HTS won't strike a deal with Russia. From their perspective, the Russian bases are a huge bargaining chip. The Syrian economy is in shambles. A few hundred million dollar or some help with restarting their oil business, refining or whatever, will go a long way in convincing HTS to let the Russians stay. After all, what is there to gain from kicking Russia out, now that they are in power? In German we say "Pack schlägt sich, Pack verträgt sich" - thugs beat themselves up, thugs get along
While the Israelis (and thus the USA) are literally pushing the SSG in that direction, and the Russians certainly trying their best to please: don't expect any kind of 'billions in humanitarian aid and reconstruction support' from Moscow. Pudding has no money for that: he's squandering all that's left in Ukraine.
Unsurprisingly, he can't even reconstruct parts of Ukraine he's already conquered.
Point is: Syria is too important and thus this is far from over. That's valid for any kind of 'negotiations' about the Russian bases there. Even more so because everybody should keep in mind: if Jowlani has learned any kind of a lesson from the CMO's final offensive, then that Syrians can be successful solely if operating entirely independently from outside powers.
This is why in his public appearances of the last few days, primarily in Damascus, but elsewhere too, he's also repeatedly emphasising: we, the Syrians, did it, on our own, and with our own equipment and training.
Of course, everybody and his next kin is going to try stealing that away from the CMO. And, there is a big question mark over the issue of whether different other of the talking-heads there in Syria might share that opinion. And, 'money talks'. But, I would say, Jowlani is presently as busy precisely because he's 'preaching' the same to all of them.
...which, IMHO, is why all the Western 'talking heads' that are on 'Syria information tours' in Türkiye, Jordan, and Iraq (especially in Erbil) these days, are actually wasting their time. But hey: what's better than a promo tour with lots of photos in the media, amid the German election campaign, just for example?
Thank you
What are the differences between the war the RF started to the war Israel started?
1) Syria unlike Ukraine cannot put up resistance.
2) Syria doesn't even get symbolic support.
3) There is a broken armistice by Israel
4) There is a broken UN mandate (UNDOF) by Israel.
5) Israel occupies the land and expulses the population.
Besides that Israel = RF. Powermonger, looting & occupying territories, destroying as much as possible.
Both use the pretext of national security interests.
The UN is silent, but what some idiots at the UN don't realize is that by being silent the UN loses its credibility (if it ever had one) and raison d'être.
As far as I know (feel free to correct me) this is the first time that an UN member state did break an UN mandate.
...and the Trio Fantasticus, 'finally', made a related statement.
Sullivan 'expects Israel's occupation of a buffer zone in Syria to be temporary' (is that why are they running ethnic cleansing, too?), while Blinken explained that the Israeli air strikes are 'to ensure the weapons not to fall into the wrong hands'.
...the two are alliens that fell on the planet Earth about 5 minutes ago...?
Meanwhile, the peaceful, democratic, and secular Israeli minister of defence, announced that 'the peaks of Mount Hermon in Syria returned to Israeli control in a moving historical moment'...
'Returned' - perhaps by walking over to the Israeli side...?
So as long Assad had them, they were in the right hands! That is the implication of what that idiot Blinken says.
Sullivan is the same idiot and talks the same PR bullshit. It is obvious that Israel did come to stay.
What the government of Israel doesn't realize is that by their constant war mongering they alienate everyone in the islamic world.
IMHO this just a repetition of what happened in the South Lebanon 1985. We will see if this time it takes another 15 years.
Could it be that Israels task in cooperation with US is to waken CMO, so that PYG remains significant plqyer in Syria, together with Erdogan?
The chosenones, can protec your land from you. Take your weapons, because you dont have the capability, and at the end, make a musical about hos victtimistm...and prior someone think about, have a loooot of "juden" Friends.
Is not about race or religion, is about some honor and respect for other humans!
There are many more differences. For example, Russia is heavily sanctioned, Israel is not.
Which country makes it possible for Israel to do what it does ?
Pro tip.
It begins with the letter U.
Santions I didn't mention, because they didn't start with the first day and the war in Ukraine started actually 2014.
It is the weakness of Syria and disunity among the Arabs / moslemic world, because too many particular interests which allows Israel to act as it wants.
Eager to hear from your Russian side of the many more differences regarding the conduct of war.
The natural consequences would also be sanctions against Israel, at least from the arabic / islamic world.
It isn't the Arab states that provide Israel with military and financial means to invade Syria. Nor are they the one that shield Israel from consequences.
Media support is also very important. I don't see any big titles on CNN or other Western MSM outlets condemning this invasion. If they report it at all, they call it an incursion, an expansion of the buffer zone etc.
Rules based order.
Military deterrence works with and without nukes. It is the current military impotence of Syria, which triggered Israel's war on Syria.
They didn't get any special weapons the last few days. All those years before they could have started the war in Syria, but with of course consequences. Now that they don't have to fear consequences, they act.
That alone tells more than enough about their mentality. The Israelian society is even more militarized than the Russian one.
It is no coincidence that they worship a bloody terrorist like Menachem Begin and that Yitzhak Rabin, who also having his share of blood on his hands, was the Prime Minister before Begin, was killed by the fanatic Zionist Yigal Amir.
And how much condemnation comes from eastern media? As far as I remember only a handful of Arabic States did react.
"All those years before they could have started the war in Syria, but with of course consequences. Now that they don't have to fear consequences, they act."
Israel has been bombing Syria regularly for years. Each of those strikes is an act of war. No consequences then or now.
It is absolutely ridiculous to compare the isolated bombings of the past with the current rolling air raids, where Israel bombs massively at will with impunity, even in broad daylight, because there is no longer any air defense in Syria.
Still waiting for your many examples of differnce between the war the RF started and the war Israel started.
Aplause!!! Ovation!!!!
Guten Tag.
Ich möchte Eine Frage bittе?
На вашу думку як падіння Асада вплине на присутність Росії в Африці? Наскільки складною стане логістика на континент? Я читав що вони там мільярди заробляють на видобутку діамантів, золота... І чи це вплине якось на Україну, чи це тільки дасть змогу зосередити більше ресурсів проти України?
Schöne Grüße.
The way I see it - and I'm basing this foremost on Putin's behaviour in regards of 'forgetting' some 3,000-5,000 Russian servicemen in Syria - he can't care less about 'Africa'.
Sure, it's 'nice' to have the control over a few gold mines there, but actually: most of the income is spent on maintaining the presence of that 'African Legion' in countries like the CAR, Mali etc.
Keep in mind: for Putin, the 'African Legion' = ex-Wagner. And Wagner = disloyal SOBs (sons of b...). Which is why I also strongly doubt he's ever going to return them to Russia (from his point of view, that's a 'no-no'; they're in exile, and it's 'good' if many get killed by local enemies).
Also thanks to BRICS, he can't care less about them, nor really needs them to maintain his influence in Africa any more.
As long as Türkiye is granting overflight rights, Russia also has no problem with keeping its mercenaries in Africa resupplied. And even if: that 'business' is meanwhile primarily run via Tunisia, where more than 20 Russian merchants have docked over the last two months: many carrying contraband for the African Legion. Plus: the UAE is always 'somewhere around the corner', to lend a helping hand.
With other words: the Hmeymim AB and the Naval Depot in Tartous are 'nice to have', but no 'must'.
Дякую за такий розгорнутий коментар, як завжди все фахово.
Hallo Tom, wer ist Oleg Ignasyuk - letztes screenshot oben rechts?
Captain 1st Rank Oleg Ignasyuk is (or was) the Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Defence's 'Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria'.
Here is one of examples of him being mentioned by Pudding's PRBS-industry, and then 'quoted' abroad:
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/11/29/russia-says-bombing-anti-government-forces-in-syria-a87183
Some days ago on the news, I watched the UN envoy to Syria on the news at least mentioning the Israeli movements on the Golans.
Here: https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/united-nations-special-envoy-syria-mr-geir-o-pedersen-geneva-10-december-2024#:~:text=United%20Nations%20Special%20Envoy%20for,December%202024%20%2D%20Syrian%20Arab%20Republic
However it is disconcerting that there have been no more communication regarding this from New York.
RE freezing assets of Al-Asshat and giving them to SSG. Then the US would have to reconsider unfreezing assets for Taliban, which is no good
Actually there is no proof it was the sdf to shoot to the crowd.
https://t.me/parabellumcommunity/304225
Oh yeah: that charlatan and stalker is 'the' source about Syria... 🙄
I mean.. the video looks legit. Maybe it's another situation, that I don't know.
The poster of that video is as legit - and as well-intended - as I'm a Syrian national.
https://x.com/GregoryPWaters/status/1867229603812786679
That Marco Whatever.... two years ago, he began spreading outrageous lies about me in the social media. When I've tried to ask why, he merely continued lying - even when I've shown him clear, indisputable evidence that he is lying. Therefore, he then arranged for some Italian 'intelligentsia' to start making me offers 'that would be profitable for both sides', and when I've declined then they all started shit-posting me for days without an end.
The affair ended only once I have unfriended and blocked almost every single Italian on both my Facebook- and contemporary Medium-accounts.
Well-meant recommendation: do not even mention that character and associates in my presence.
Okay, so the sdf fired at the crowd after they shot first, according to that source. But you wrote simply "the PKK/PYD/YPG/SDF has opened fire at the mass protest against its regime, injuring several participants." which is factually not wrong, but I just think it's a little misleading
The concept of 'DON'T SHOOT AT CIVILIANS' - is unknown to you?
I'm not saying that they where right and of course I'm not trying to justify what the sdf has done. It's clear, and IT'S A FACT, that the sdf didn't just randomly shot at the protesters like Assad used to do and as you make it look like. They were shot at before. It still doesn't justify it, but you reported a news without telling the whole story which I don't think is good reporting. And the fact that you are getting angry and going on the defensive makes me think I'm right.
Ps: I read only now the comment before that you modified. I didn't know that (BTW that's interesting) and I won't mention him again.
"The affair ended only once I have unfriended and blocked almost every single Italian on both my Facebook- and contemporary Medium-accounts."
Wait... what? Who´s Marco? Ah.... maybe you are referring to Mirko Campochiari. Is this the reason I can´t write in your FB group?
Ever heard of the Northern Democratic Brigade ? Or Jaish al Thuwar (Army of Revolutionaries) ?
For every use and for every action, the PKK has an obvious BS fake front group. Including shooting on civilians and doing all sort of crimes under FSA flag.
I advice you to check about the Ghadab al-Zaytoun as well. Be cautious though, that was the front name the PKK/YPG used to murder Arabs deported refugees in Afrin after US officials told the YPG it is bad publicity to openly claim the execution of refugees under their most commonly know names.
Ghadab al-Zaytoun had to be dismissed quickly though because, in the spirit of inclusivity and co-existance between sects and ethnic groups, PKK death squadron had a thing about filming the execution of random Arabs civilians and publishing their warcrimes with edits replacing their victims heads with rats heads under Kurdish dakbe music and rats sounds.
BTW this is why the latest talk about the PKK/SDF suddenly joining the revolution and adopting its flag is such an obvious ridiculous BS propaganda. Back when the "SDF" were announced following US advice, the whole speech was for it to join and include the whole opposition. YPG and thus "Kurds" were even supposed to be the minority. Obviously that was a lie and the PKK and the Americans openly admitted so.
Just like it was latter admitted the fake Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups such as Jaish al Thuwar who were allegedly founding members of the SDF are in fact, Kurdish majority ...
All to say, SDF are already supposed to use the revolution flag. And they are supposed to do so since their founding in 2016. yet they spent the 8 years since then arresting or shooting people doing so.
Didn't know, that's for the insight. BTW, off topic: in your opinion are there similarities between and Palestinians/hamas and kurds/pkk?
Thanks* not "that's"
Assad is said to have "coincidentally" transferred his assets to Russia a few days after the fall of Aleppo. If the money is actually in Russia it will be difficult to get hold of. But Putin will certainly take the money from him at some point when he needs a little money for his war. The Russian sovereign wealth fund will be empty in the foreseeable future if things continue like this. Even if it's a naive dream, I hope that a few western countries will say "here, dear Syria, you have a few hundred million as a loan or something, do what you think is right..." Unfortunately, without the necessary money, I fear that this entire revolution could be stillborn. Tom, I read that the CMO wants to revoke citizenship for Shiites granted under Assad. This mainly affects people who come from Iran. Are there rational reasons for this or is it an act of exclusion?
Banking with someone when the banker knows that you have no alternative options and no recourse against him is a really dumb idea. Maybe he's that dumb but there's an alternative of having it in crypto, with millions of crypto-retards on the ready to cash him out, so that would be my choice.
Thanks Tom. There are many selfish external forces trying to pull Syria apart. But i hope that the newfound gumption in the Syrian people to resist mistreatment, coupled with the SSG doing its best to treat people well (may that continue!), Syria will find a way.
This is a bit far fetched (maybe more than a bit). Could Israel be in southern Syria to create facilities for refugees from Gaza and the West Bank? Dump a few million Palestinians in southern Syria and then withdraw to the old cease fire line? That makes it a temporary occupation by the IDF. I can think of a lot of reasons why this shouldn’t work, but with a lot of countries exhausted by the whole mess, Israel might get away with it.
You might be onto something. At the very least it will have occurred to Smotrich and Ben-Gvir that they "suddenly" have a brand new neighbouring country with absolutely no control over its own borders, just as they were looking for a dumping ground.
It has been claimed that takfiri and ISIS-linked gangs are being used as "kapos" to help manage the starving of the populace in Gaza. It would be difficult to conduct a mass population transfer right across Israel, but the main thing is no-one can stop them. Including, I think, the armed Palestinian groups or Hezbollah: we are still waiting for the proof of the self-serving assertion which the CMO's partisans have been allowed to get away with that the new Syrian government will slot right into Ba'athist Syria's role there.
"Sigh… I can’t wait for some enterprising idiot to come to the idea to organise a music event or two in that area… "
What a disgusting sentence, this is not sarcasm, but maliciousness.
Thanks for the update.
Per Assad's money, Chris P. below already mentioned that some of it is in Russia (it would be so funny if Putin would send Assad with NK troops to Kursk -- it won't happen, but would be so funny). I've also seen reports of him having bank accounts in London and Dubai (eg: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1986304/bashar-al-assad-syria-fortune-russia-moscow ), so the two financial centers that would collapse without money laundering for corrupt firms and dictators. No chance...
Israel: I got used to that Netanyahu doesn't have any other strategy than racism against Palestinians, so that he can stay in power and out of jail, but one would think this is exactly the moment when Israel should make a deal with the new Syrian government to keep it in the broad coalition against Iran. This is the perfect example that electing shallow, racist strongmen is never the solution.