Rami Abdel Rahman tells LBCI: No Hezbollah casualties in Syria, and no targeting of neighboring countries

The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, stated, "In the past, we used to call Syria the Tehran-Beirut route, but today this route has completely cut off, and the Syrian Democratic Forces have taken control of it in the Deir Ezzor province." 

He pointed out that "Iran can no longer supply Hezbollah with weapons through Syria, nor can Hezbollah travel through Syria to reach Iran."

In an interview with LBCI, Abdel Rahman noted that "we have not seen Hezbollah in Syria at all, and we have not documented the killing or injury of any of its members, even in Homs, where Hezbollah is considered strong."

He also mentioned that "Hezbollah had been present in Homs and some villages since 2013, and then moved to other areas. It seems that today it no longer has anything to fight for in Syria, as more than 70% of Syria is no longer under the control of the regime, and Hezbollah is the most affected by what is happening to the regime."

Abdel Rahman emphasized that "there is dissatisfaction within the Alawite community with Hezbollah because it did not stand by the regime, and there is also dissatisfaction with the regime and Bashar al-Assad's false promises." 

He considered that "ISIS is a tool used by states and international and regional intelligence agencies, and some parties are trying to create discord between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Kurds by spreading false news, but the leadership of the group is clear."

Abdel Rahman also pointed out that "today, those who remain in Syria are those who want to build a national state, and with intensive U.S. airstrikes, ISIS could be eliminated. The biggest losers as a result of what is happening in Syria today are Hezbollah, Bashar al-Assad, and the Iranian axis. In contrast, the biggest winners are the Syrian people who want to live peacefully."

He continued, "The opportunity has passed, and the meetings were delayed for too long. The sanctions were meant to force a change in the regime's policies. The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied knowledge of the meeting that was mentioned, and we don't know if Bashar al-Assad will remain in power until Sunday."

Abdel Rahman argued that "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has played the biggest role in the killing, displacement, and destruction of the Syrian people. He has exploited the situation for political gain, and in the end, he is a skilled opportunist seeking to benefit from every part of Syria. Syria tomorrow will be very different from Syria today."

He added, "We had already discussed a major operation that was expected since September. The regime claims it was surprised, but we had mentioned it multiple times. However, we didn't expect the regime to collapse this way." 

He also pointed out, "Abu Mohammad al-Jolani is trying to present himself as the leader of this phase, and there is both Western and regional approval for this operation. There will be no targeting of neighboring countries."