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Luna Chebel, an advisor to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, said in an interview that was aired on BBC Arabic (U.K.) on April 3, 2022 that Russia has the right and duty to defend its people and that although many Syrians wish to volunteer to fight alongside it in Ukraine out of gratitude for its support for the Al-Assad regime, Russia currently has no need for Syrian volunteers. In addition, Chebel said that Israel used to indirectly attack Syria by supporting and training anti-regime terrorist groups, but that now that the government has defeated the terrorists, Israel has been forced to strike Syria directly. She also said that Syria has the unlimited right to retaliate against Israel and to ask for help from its ally, Iran. She elaborated that Iranian advisors are present in Syria. For more information about Luna Chebel, see MEMRI TV Clip no. 9400.
Luna Chebel: "Syria has supported Russia's right to self-defense, the right to defend its land, people, and national security. Moreover, Syria has supported Russia's duty to do this, not just its right.
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"Many Syrians have expressed their desire to volunteer to fight alongside Russia in this military operation, which you insist on calling an 'invasion,' as a sign of gratitude for the country that stood by the Syrian people and army in their battle against terrorism - a battle in which Russia has sacrificed lives.
"However, we are aware that the developments on the ground and the military operations do not require volunteers at the moment. In addition, Russia has not sent Syria an official request for Syrian volunteers, and Syria cannot act officially so long as there is no such Russian request.
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"When Syria says that it will retaliate [against Israel], it means that Syria has the right to do so, and no statute of limitation applies in this regard.
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"Allow me to point out that Syria has waged a war for 11 years. In the first years, we did not see any direct Israeli involvement in this war, because many of the armed terrorist groups were supported logistically - and even politically and militarily - by Israel. They would return to Israel to receive medical treatment and to undergo training, and then they would return to Syria to practice their terrorism.
"So by fighting these groups, we were actually fighting Israel, one way or another. When Syria began to defeat terrorism and liberate these territories, and they could no longer carry out their missions at the behest [of Israel], Israel was forced to intervene, expose its true face, and strike directly. So for 11 years, we have been attacking Israel and retaliating against it, via its advanced army of mercenaries and terrorist groups in Syria.
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"I doubt that anyone besides Syria can drive the Americans out of Syria. Ultimately, the resistance in those areas will drive the Americans out.
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"Our enmity with the Israeli entity has nothing to do with the presence of Iranian advisors [in Syria].
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"We are in a state of war and we have the right to receive assistance and expertise from whoever we see fit. Yes, there are Iranian military experts in Syria, and they provide expertise to the Syrian Arab army. They come and they go. The state of Syria is at war and has the right to ask for help from its ally.
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"The days when America and the West encapsulated the entire world are gone. There is another, bigger world. Finally, I would like to say that Biden's latest poll - I do not know if you saw it - shows that the decline in his popularity is similar to Trump's, and that the American voters reject everything that is happening. At the same time, Putin's popularity is on the rise.
"So you tell me, who is besieging whom? Who is suffering more from what is happening?"
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