In Syria, the Hard Part May Be About to Begin as Assad, Russia and Iran Eye Each Other Warily

Now that the situation in Syria is moving towards a political settlement and reconstruction, many more parties will have a say in what happens.

by Michael Young

published by

The National

on December 21, 2017

Source: The National

In early December, Vladimir Putin visited the Russian Hmeimim airbase in Syria, accompanied by Bashar Al Assad. In a meeting with Syrian officers, he singled out Gen Suheil Al Hassan, the head of the Tiger Force in the Syrian army, as an effective military commander.

Mr Putin implied that the Russians were watching Gen Al Hassan closely, suggesting to a paranoid Mr Al Assad that he could emerge as a favourite of Moscow if the Syrian president were forced out of office. All of this was implicit, nothing more, but the look of dread on Gen Al Hassan’s face showed he regarded the praise as a mixed blessing, as it could push the Al Assads to get rid of him.

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This article was originally published in The National.

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