U.S. offered deals to Assad to cut ties with Iran before Aleppo attack
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The United States offered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad deals to sever ties with Iran before opposition factions seized Aleppo, The New York Times said on Wednesday.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, once known as al-Nusra Front) and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), recently launched their largest offensive in years, gaining full control of Aleppo, Idlib and parts of Hama.
The New York Times added that these developments make it increasingly unlikely that Syria will abandon its long-standing alliance with Iran.
The report highlights escalating Israeli airstrikes in Syria and efforts by the U.S. and Gulf states to court Assad into distancing himself from Iran and Hezbollah. Despite these pressures, the attack on Aleppo appears to have solidified the Syria-Iran-Russia alliance, with both Moscow and Tehran renewing their commitments to support Assad.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported discussions between the U.S. and UAE about potentially lifting sanctions on al-Assad if he agreed to distance himself from Iran.