The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On December 8, 2024, following the overthrow of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria by the Syrian jihadi terrorist group Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and other jihadi and anti-regime militant factions,[1] senior officials in the Iran-backed Iraqi militias accused Iran of abandoning its allies in the axis of resistance and blamed it for the disintegration of the entire axis. They warned Iran that its behavior has made the Iranian regime vulnerable to a fate similar to that suffered by Assad. These officials expressed concern about the possible resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, and the implications this might have for the national stability in Iraq. They also expressed apprehension over the involvement of international elements in the transfer of power in Syria, claiming that these have no interest in regional stability.
The following is a review of examples of the above sentiments posted by senior officials in Shi’ite militias on the X platform, on December 8, 2024:
In a post on his X account, Iran-backed Iraqi Faylaq Al-Wa'ad Al-Sadiq militia leader Muhammad Al-Tamimi wrote that the new Middle East and the crumbling of the axis of resistance are not the result of the fall of Bashar Assad, but rather derive from the June 2020 U.S. assassinations in Baghdad of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani and deputy commander of Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi (Popular Mobilization Unit, PMU), Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. He wrote that Iran and Iraq ''didn’t bat an eye,'' in response to that event and thus triggered the start of the collapse of the axis of resistance.
Al-Tamimi accused Iran of abandoning its allies, thus leading the resistance factions to lose hope. ''Hamas and Hizbullah were left alone in the arena facing an unknown fate,'' he wrote, adding that the same applied to Assad. In a veiled reference to Iran, Al-Tamimi added that those who had abandoned Assad and accused him of betraying the axis of resistance not only caused the fall of his regime but also the collapse of the entire axis of resistance. He asserted that the former should realize that they are next in line, stating, ''Be prepared. Just as you abandoned Hizbullah and Bashar, soon will come the turn of the red bull[2] If you do not learn from your mistakes. I say this in sorrow, the Palestine issue is finished and you will not liberate it. The U.S. will demand of you normalization [with Israel], or your fate will be the fate of Bashar.''[3]
Also on December 8, in a post on his X account, the leader of the Iran-backed Islamic Iraq Movement – Imam Ali Brigades militia, Shibl Al-Zaydi, wrote that he wished the Syrian people peace, security, and prosperity and that he supports peoples' right to self-determination. He further stated that the events of the Arab Spring and the emergence of ISIS which called for the establishment of an extremist takfiiri[4] state in Syria and Iraq ''at the time, made the existence of the factions [both] necessary, and a noble cause which contributed to the expulsion of the organization.''
Al-Zaydi added that now as well, ''we await with caution and full readiness [to see] the policy which will be adopted by the Syrian opposition, for what has happened there [in Syria] will influence the situation in Iraq to a great extent. This is mainly because the international elements which we do not trust are conducting the transfer of power directly and have no interest [in preserving] the unity of Syria or Iraq or the stability of the countries in the region.''[5]
It is notable that senior officials in Yemen’s Houthi Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) also expressed concern about the implications of the recent events in Syria on the stability of additional countries in the region. These officials urged the Syrian rebels to leverage their success to liberate the Golan, Jerusalem, and Gaza.[6]
[1] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Announcing 'Liberation' Of Damascus And Flight Of Assad, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)-Linked Operations Room Declares 'Beginning Of New Age For Syria'; HTS Leader Al-Joulani: Public Institutions Remain Temporarily In Custody Of Former PM Al-Jalali, December 8, 2024.
[2] Al-Tamimi is referring to a well-known fable about a lion that outwitted three bulls and devoured them by dividing and conquering them.
[3] X, December 8, 2024.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
