QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The interests of Russia, Iran and Syria overlapped in the desire to end the Syrian war. However, as soon as the battles began to decline, the dispute between the Mullahs of Tehran and the czarsof Moscow started to appear.
With the outbreak of popular protests in Syria, Iran rushed to involve in the Syrian crisis and took side with the Syrian government against its opponents. As for Russia, it officially announced its military intervention in 2015.
“Iran brought sectarian factions to fight against Assad’s opponents. Yet it did not succeed in ending the protests, thus Russia had to militarily intervene to save Assad from falling,” according to studies centers.
Since the beginning of 2012, Iranian-backed local and foreign factions have begun to back the government forces. These factions maintained a heavy presence inside Syrian territory, and took root in the security and military services of the Syrian government at various levels and forms.
According to these studies, the Iranian-backed factions, along with some government military units, assumed the task of “crushing the popular revolution” on the ground, while the advanced Russian warplanes used “a scorched-earth policy across the country, killing thousands and displacing millions.”
A dispute between the mullahs and the czars
The signs of the disagreement between Tehran and Moscow began to appear, with new loyalties formed within the Syrian government forces; the Fourth Division became Iran’s ally and its official military arm within the government forces, while Russia formed units affiliated with it, such as the Fifth Corps and other formations led by Suhail al-Hassan, nicknamed “The Tiger”.
Moscow has also made alliances inside the Syrian security services. The Military Security became an official affiliation to Russia, after it was an ally of Iran in the past.
Finally, Russia sponsored the recent Daraa reconciliations and expelled the Iranian-backed factions from southern Syria with international blessing and the approval of Assad, who wants to get rid of Iranian influence in Syria and secure the border with Israel, according to press reports.
Military conflict
Russia was dissatisfied with the Iranian presence in Syria, thus it coordinated with Israel to remove it from Syria through precise strikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force in Syria, the last of which was in the port of Latakia and Damascus International Airport.
Israel repeatedly bombed the Iranian sites within Syrian territory, amid the inability of the Syrian air defenses to intercept, respond, or stop the missiles and bombs that targeted military points and bases of Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Observers believe that “Assad blesses these Russian moves and the Israeli strikes against his Iranian ally, because he wants to get rid of this influence after Iran achieved what Assad wanted.”
The Russian President’s Special Envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, considered yesterday that the issue of Israeli strikes in Syria targets the Iranian presence in Syria and “it is impossible to close it.”
“The Israelis insist on what they call the right of self-defense and the protection of their national security. They say they are targeting Iranian targets,” Lavrentiev said in an interview with Russia Today TV channel.
Since 2018, Israel and Russia have established a military hotline in order to coordinate operations and avoid clashes.
“Tehran has repeatedly announced that it will withdraw from Syria when the danger to the Syrian national security no longer exists,” said Lavrentiev who expressed Moscow’s hope that “this issue will be resolved soon”.
Economic competition
Iran felt the Russian threat to its presence in Damascus, so it accelerated actions to complete the takeover of Syria in all aspects. To bring the entire country under their administration and to have a permanent foothold in the Middle East, Iran has made use of thousands of military, religious and other personnel.
Apart from the Iranian security and military influence map in Syria, Iran has set up several economic projects that directly or indirectly serve the Iranian influence, as well as Tehran’s cultural and sectarian expansion within several Syrian cities.
Since mid-2021, Iran has begun the ambitious plan of enhancing its presence in various vital sectors in Aleppo.
The features of the supposed stage began to appear with the opening of the Iranian consulate and the economic office attached to it last May. Several vital projects in the vicinity of religious shrines were also implemented, paving the way for a long stay inside the city and its countryside.
The consulate has turned into the destination for traders, industrialists, tribal sheikhs and leaders of Iranian-backed factions to ensure their interests, due to the consul’s extensive influence in the city, according to press reports.
In turn, Moscow has gained massive privileges and concessions from Damascus through agreements and understandings it concludes with the Syrian government, which are manifested in providing exemptions and tax facilities and facilitating and simplifying trade procedures between the two countries.
Days ago, the Syrian government signed a contract to import one million tons of wheat from Russia, a source of the Syrian Grain Corporation told North Press.
Cultural struggle
On December 14, Aleppo University and the Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research signed a memorandum of understanding to develop “joint cooperation” between the two sides for the next five years, renewable, by the presence of the Dean of Aleppo University and the Iranian Consul.
According to the memorandum, scientific database research and achievements shall be exchanged between the two parties and short-term exclusive training courses shall be implemented in Aleppo University by Iranian professors.
Days after Iran’s agreement with the University of Aleppo, a delegation from the Moscow State University visited the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Syria’s capital Damascus in the framework of disseminating the Russian language in Syrian educational institutions.
The Russian delegation and tutors of the Russian language in Syrian schools participated in a dialogue workshop to discuss mechanisms of modern teaching approaches.
Media outlets cited Elisabetta Khamraeva, professor at Moscow State University, as saying “the last workshop in Damascus focused on teaching Russian for foreigner students according to modern teaching approaches.”
Under the title “Educational Sway,” the Washington Institute for Near East Policy released a report in which it said: “Another development that indicates Iran’s goal of establishing a multigenerational presence in Syria is the Assad regime’s decision to open Farsi-language departments in several educational institutions, including Damascus University, Baath University in Homs, and Tishreen University in Latakia.”
A report by a study center specialized in the Syrian issue identified Iran as the “most dangerous” player in Syria in terms of the Syrian social fabric, its composition, and its cohesion. Iran’s educational projects aim to make a comprehensive change in the Syrian society.