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US envoy doubles down on help for Syria’s gov and criticizes Israel’s intervention

BEIRUT — A U.S. envoy doubled down on Washington’s help for the brand new authorities in Syria, saying Monday there may be “no Plan B” to working with the present authorities to unite the nation nonetheless reeling from an almost 14-year civil warfare and now wracked by a brand new outbreak of sectarian violence.

Tom Barrack took a important tone towards Israel’s current intervention in Syria, calling it poorly timed and saying that it difficult efforts to stabilize the area.

Barrack, who’s ambassador to Turkey and particular envoy to Syria and in addition has a short-term mandate in Lebanon, made the feedback in an unique interview with The Related Press throughout a go to to Beirut. He spoke following greater than per week of clashes within the southern province of Sweida between militias of the Druze non secular minority and native Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes.

Syrian authorities forces intervened, ostensibly to revive order, however ended up siding with the Bedouins earlier than withdrawing below a ceasefire settlement with Druze factions. Tons of have been killed within the combating, and a few authorities fighters allegedly shot lifeless Druze civilians and burned and looted their homes.

Within the meantime, Israel intervened final week on behalf of the Druze, who’re seen as a loyal minority inside Israel and sometimes serve in its navy. Israel launched dozens of strikes on convoys of presidency forces in Sweida and in addition struck the Syrian Ministry of Protection headquarters in central Damascus.

Over the weekend, Barrack introduced a ceasefire between Syria and Israel, with out giving particulars. Syrian authorities forces have redeployed in Sweida to halt renewed clashes between the Druze and Bedouins, and civilians from each side had been set to be evacuated Monday.

Barrack advised the AP that “the killing, the revenge, the massacres on each side” are “insupportable,” however that “the present authorities of Syria, for my part, has carried out themselves as finest they’ll as a nascent authorities with only a few sources to deal with the multiplicity of points that come up in attempting to convey a various society collectively.” At a later press convention he mentioned the Syrian authorities “must be held accountable” for violations.

Concerning Israel’s strikes on Syria, Barrack mentioned: “America was not requested, nor did they take part in that call, nor was it america accountability in issues that Israel feels is for its personal self-defense.”

Nevertheless, he mentioned that Israel’s intervention “creates one other very complicated chapter” and “got here at a really unhealthy time.”

Previous to the battle in Sweida, Israel and Syria had been participating in talks over safety issues, whereas the Trump administration had been pushing them to maneuver towards a full normalization of diplomatic relations.

When the newest combating erupted, “Israel’s view was that south of Damascus was this questionable zone, in order that no matter occurred militarily in that zone wanted to be agreed upon and mentioned with them,” Barrack mentioned. “The brand new authorities (in Syria) coming in was not precisely of that perception.”

The ceasefire introduced Saturday between Syria and Israel is a restricted settlement addressing solely the battle in Sweida, he mentioned. It doesn’t tackle the broader points between the 2 nations, together with Israel’s competition that the world south of Damascus needs to be a demilitarized zone.

Within the discussions main as much as the ceasefire, Barrack mentioned “each side did one of the best they’ll” to got here to an settlement on particular questions associated to the motion of Syrian forces and gear from Damascus to Sweida.

“Whether or not you settle for that Israel can intervene in a sovereign state is a unique query,” he mentioned.

He urged that Israel would favor to see Syria fragmented and divided fairly than a powerful central state in command of the nation.

“Sturdy nation states are a menace — particularly Arab states are seen as a menace to Israel,” he mentioned. However in Syria, he mentioned, “I believe the entire the minority communities are good sufficient to say, we’re higher off collectively, centralized.”

The violence in Sweida has deepened the mistrust of minority non secular and ethnic teams in Syria towards the brand new authorities in Damascus, led by Sunni Muslim former insurgents who unseated Syria’s longtime autocratic ruler, Bashar Assad, in a lightning offensive in December.

The assaults on Druze civilians adopted the deaths of a whole bunch of civilians from the Alawite minority, to which Assad belongs, earlier this 12 months in sectarian revenge assaults on the Syrian coast. Whereas interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has promised to guard minorities and punish those that goal civilians, many really feel his authorities has not carried out sufficient.

On the identical time, Damascus has been negotiating with the Kurdish forces that management a lot of northeast Syria to implement an settlement that might merge the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces with the brand new nationwide military.

Barrack, who spoke to SDF chief Mazloum Abdi over the weekend, mentioned he doesn’t consider the violence in Sweida will derail these talks and that there could possibly be a breakthrough “within the coming weeks.”

Neighboring Turkey, which desires to curtail the affect of Kurdish teams alongside its border and has tense relations with Israel, has supplied to supply protection help to Syria.

Barrack mentioned the U.S. has “no place” on the prospect of a protection pact between Syria and Turkey.

“It’s not within the U.S.’s enterprise or curiosity to inform any of the encircling nations with one another what to do,” he mentioned.

Barrack’s go to to Lebanon got here amid ongoing home and worldwide strain for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to surrender its remaining arsenal after a bruising warfare with Israel that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire settlement in November.

Talking at a press convention in Beirut Monday, Barrack mentioned the ceasefire settlement “didn’t work.”

Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon that it says are aimed toward stopping Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. Hezbollah has mentioned it won’t focus on disarming till Israel stops its strikes and withdraws its forces from all of southern Lebanon.

Whereas the U.S. has been pushing for Hezbollah’s disarmament, Barrack described the matter as “inner” to Lebanon.

“There’s no consequence, there’s no menace, there’s no whip, we’re right here on a voluntary foundation attempting to usher in an answer,” he mentioned. He added that the U.S. “can’t compel Israel to do something” relating to the ceasefire.

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