Iran’s support for Bashar al-Assad has come under fire as officials distance themselves from the Syrian president, who resigned and fled after rebel forces stormed his capital. Iranian leaders acknowledged their country was taken aback by the sudden collapse of Syria’s government, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying Syrians must be free to decide their future without violence or foreign meddling.
State media revealed that Iran had misjudged regional dynamics and overlooked Assad’s unpopularity among Syrians, mirroring its own lack of support in the country. Analysts noted that this loss is a significant blow to Iran’s network of militant allies in the region, with several top leaders eliminated by Israeli assassinations or political upheaval.
“This fall of Assad puts an exclamation point on the fact that decades of Iranian strategy and investment in the Levant have come undone in a matter of weeks,” said Ali Vaez, Iran director for the International Crisis Group.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/world/middleeast/iran-reaction-assad-syria.html