Secret deal: How Syria plays both sides in Middle East conflicts
Syrian government keeps quiet deal with Israel while pretending to support Palestinian resistance. Despite being part of Iran-led alliance Assadʼs regime chooses to stay away from recent Mid-East fights
The Syrian governments long-standing approach to Israel isnt what it seems in public. While making anti-Israel statements‚ they keep peace at borders since decades back
The government paints itself as if it is fighting Israel but that has always been a lie
In fall-2023 when Hamas-Israel fight started many thought Bashar al-Assad might join in; however his government stayed away from conflict. Unlike past times Damascus didnt allow big pro-Palestinian protests this time showing its real position
The reasons for Syrias non-involvement are clear-cut: regime survival comes first. With about 40% of land outside governments control and lots of internal problems Assad needs to be extra-careful. One un-named Western diplomat told news agency that Israel gave Syria a straight-forward warning: any hostile moves would end Assadʼs rule
Here are key factors keeping Syria away from conflict:
- Hope for reduced Western restrictions
- Better ties with UAE and Saudi-Arabia
- Old grudge against Hamas (which supported Syrian rebels in 2011)
- Need to keep good relations with Russia
Russians play a big part in this situation — theyʼve put their forces near Israel border after some Iranian commanders got hit in Syria last spring. This helps Assad stay neutral while letting Israel hit Iranian targets in Syria; its a win-win deal for Damascus and Moscow
We cannot demand more from Syria and we must be realistic
Syria still helps move weapons from Iran to Hezbollah which makes Israel bomb some targets there. But Assad found a sweet spot: he keeps Iran happy enough while staying out of direct fights — showing that staying in power matters more than any ideological partnerships
