Jeffrey: Trump administration has devised a strategy to stop the progress of ISIS, and Israel has a great role, much of it secret, and has worked to deprive the Syrian president of control on the ground
Former US envoy to Syria James Jeffrey stressed that President Donald Trump’s administration was able to “devise a strategy to stop the progress of ISIS and deny Syrian President Bashar al Assad control of the ground”.
Jeffrey said in an interview with the “Times of Israel” newspaper, “The United States forces and the international coalition that leads them in Syria are not only fighting ISIS, but also preventing Assad from gaining ground,” noting that Turkish forces do the same thing in northern Syria, while the Israeli Air Force dominates the sky”.
He added, “Trump has led a strong policy in the region in general… Look about the Middle East among America’s friends and partners in Ankara, Cairo, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait and Amman, and tell me who is happy with the departure of the Trump administration?”
And he continued, “Although Trump may not win the majority of votes, he won the respect of the United States’ allies in the Middle East”.
Jeffrey defended the Israeli raids on Syria, saying that the only way to stop these operations is the withdrawal of Iranian and Iranian-backed forces from Syria, considering this a request not for discussion, while insisting that Iran’s involvement in Syria “amplifies and amplifies the worst instincts of Assad towards his people and his neighbors”.
The former envoy indicated that “the Iranian presence poses an existential threat at the present time, most likely to Israel, and in the future, to our other friends and allies throughout Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq”.
Jeffrey expressed his regret at not being able to get Iran out of Syria, but emphasized that “American policy has imposed a heavy price on the Assad regime, and indirectly through what we do, what Israel does, and what we do with our various other partners” hugely, the benefits of Iran from being in Syria”.
Jeffrey made clear that if the United States was not able to negotiate a compromise that would include removing Iran from Syria, “the interim strategy is to deny them victory”.
On Israel’s contribution to fighting the “ISIS” organization, Jeffrey said: Israel has played a big role. Much of it is secret.
As for the supposed Israeli air strikes against the forces associated with Iran in Iraq, the former envoy admitted that “there was concern among some in the American army that such strikes would cause problems for concurrent efforts to defeat ISIS there”, however, after that, “we decided in the end, these fears are exaggerated.
Jeffrey previously confirmed that the alleged Israeli raids on Iraq had caused the concern of some military leaders in the United States, but the Trump administration ultimately concluded that concerns about the extent of the impact of these attacks on the war against “ISIS” are exaggerated.
He explained, “Multiple operations were carried out in Syria and Iraq against Iranian and Syrian forces, and this did not affect our campaign against ISIS”.
Moreover, Jeffrey referred to the broad coalition and support for international organizations in the United Nations and the European Union, which imposed sanctions that” crushed Assad economically”, as he put it, adding to this “the cooperation of the members of the Arab League who agreed to maintain the diplomatic isolation of the Syrian government”.
Jeffrey said of Syria’s allies: What this basically means is that Russia and Iran have inherited a completely failed state in a quagmire… and if they want to get out of this, they will have to negotiate seriously and accept compromises.
Jeffrey pointed out that “the challenge facing the Biden administration is convincing Russia and Iran to accept settlements that would put an end to the bloodshed in Syria and put Assad under control,” amid what Jeffrey called “increasing reluctance” from the two countries to do so.
