Syria

nation state

Syrian Arab Republic  link Sourcewatch Wikiquote
File:Syrian Oil.jpg
Location	Middle East
Type	nation state
A nation state in the Middle East which was conquered by NATO countries and their proxies with a "humanitarian intervention"/"War on Terror" campaign to effect 'regime change'.

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, which borders Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest, was conquered in a successful US-backed uprising starting in March 2011 aimed at toppling President Bashar al-Assad and replacing him with an American-backed puppet leader. The backing included the CIA’s covert Operation Timber Sycamore to provide arms, supplies and training to the thousands of jihadist militants who signed up to fight the Syrian government starting in 2012.

2011 regime change

Full article: 2011 Syrian Insurgency

The early insurgency phase of the Syrian civil war lasted from late July 2011 to April 2012, and was associated with the rise of armed oppositional militias across Syria and the beginning of armed rebellion against the authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic.

CIA activities in Syria

Wikipedia has a full article on "CIA activities in Syria" since the 1950s.

US Invasion plans

File:CIA ISIS deployable.jpg

Syria was on a list of seven countries which retired 4-star general Wesley Clark (former supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe 1997-2001) stated the US military had plans to invade:

In 2001, in the Pentagon, a general told me : ‘I just received a classified memo from the Secretary of Defense: we will take seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and finally, Iran.’

In Summer 2013, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff put together a highly classified assessment, which forecast that the fall of Assad would lead to chaos and, potentially, to Syria’s takeover by extremists, much as was then happening in Libya. The Joint Chiefs felt that a direct challenge to President Obama’s stated policy of removing Assad would have "had a zero chance of success" so they decided to take steps against the extremists without going through political channels, by providing US intelligence to the militaries of other nations, on the understanding that it would be passed on to the Syrian Arab Army and used against the common enemy, Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State.

Audio leaked in January 2017 suggested that the US was hoping that ISIS would expand to the point at which it would lead to regime change in Syria. Dr Rola appeared on UK television to support the case that bombing of Syria could be morally justified as "humanitarian intervention".

Lubricating regime change

In September 2015, Craig Murray noted that the British government's self-denying ordinance from engaging in armed conflict in Syria appeared to be crumbling. On 2 December 2015, following a 10-hour debate, the House of Commons voted by 397 to 223 in favour of bombing Daesh in Syria. Instead of targeting terrorists, however, David Cameron ordered RAF Tornados from Akrotiri in Cyprus to bomb the Omar oil field in eastern Syria. The second wave of airstrikes on 5 December 2015 also targeted the Omar oil field. Brimstone missiles (costing £100,000 each) were deployed for the first time in another RAF airstrike on the Omar oil field on 10 January 2016.

SANA, the Syrian news agency, declared:

"Britain didn't ask permission from Syria's government. Cameron told lies."

UN ceasefire

On 18 December 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2254 calling for a ceasefire in Syria, an immediate halt to any attacks on civilian targets and the formation of a unity government. Excluded from the ceasefire are Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria.

After UNSCR 2254 (2015) passed, US Secretary of State John Kerry, who chaired the Security Council meeting, said that it was the time “to put an end to indiscriminate bombing, torture and the bloodshed” in Syria, adding that significant progress had been made “that gives us grounds for encouragement.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that the Vienna format is the only way to bring all foreign players to the table and ensure a fair settlement in Syria through talks:

“Today’s unanimous vote in the UN Security Council should pave the way for the formation of a broad front against terrorism on the basis of the UN Charter, with the support of all on Earth who are opposed to terrorism, including the army of Syria, the Kurdish militia, and the armed forces of the Syrian patriotic opposition. The air force of the Russian Federation, at the request of the legitimate government of the Syrian Arab Republic, is contributing to the completion of this task.

“Only Syrian-led inclusive dialogue can put an end to untold suffering in Syria,” Lavrov said, stressing that Syria should remain a secular, unified, and multi-ethnic country. “Only the Syrian people are to decide on their future, including the fate of President Assad – this is an answer, included into the resolution, to attempts to enforce outside will on the Syrians,” Lavrov said.

"The fight against terrorism must be consistent and not opportunistic in nature, whether it be in Syria or anywhere else. Attempts to separate terrorists into good and bad are unacceptable. The resolution stresses the need to provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. It must be provided in strict accordance with the guidelines of the United Nations, enshrined in General Assembly resolutions and the decisions of the Security Council, including the principle of the consent of the host government.”

Alleged use of chemical weapons

On 15 October 2018, the BBC Panorama programme entitled "Syria's Chemical War" was broadcast. It was a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and BBC Arabic which claimed to show how chemical weapons had been used by the Syrian Government as part of a deliberate military strategy. There were serious concerns over the investigation’s reliance on 'broadly impartial' sources — who are not named — and consequently the reliability of the programme's findings. On 16 October, members of the Global Network for Syria issued the following response:

“Yesterday's BBC Panorama programme was notable for its omissions. It was not clear, for example, whether evidence backing the claims of 106 uses of chemical weapons came from Syrian rebel sources. Given that sources are not named, the BBC may be relying on evidence from groups that are widely regarded as favourable to the opposition, such as the White Helmets, the Syrian American Medical Society, or the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations.

"The investigation ignored the interim findings of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the Douma incident, which contradict the BBC’s conclusions. The OPCW found no evidence of the use of prohibited weapons in Douma and did not rule out that chlorine cylinders found at the site may have been planted.

"The programme showed former OPCW staff saying that not all of President Assad's stocks destroyed under OPCW supervision were necessarily accounted for. It neglected to point out, however, that the OPCW reported in 2014 that it had been unable to visit two sites where chemical weapons were stored and that both these sites were in rebel-held territory deemed unsafe for inspectors to visit.

"The programme also claimed to detect a pattern of Assad using chemical weapons in the final stages of sieges. But the report did not address questions raised by numerous military experts who ask why Syrian Government Forces, which were already winning the war, would deploy chemical weapons of limited usefulness, risking severe reprisals by the US-led Coalition.

"There are further concerns regarding the lack of reference to Islamist fighters, who have used chlorine canisters as part of their "resistance", and who have butchered not just Christians and Alawites but also hundreds of the civilians living under their control, as documented by the UN.

"The war in Syria is complex, with many different layers to the conflict. It is crucial that any future investigation includes historical and geopolitical context, objective analysis, transparency about sources, and, at the very least, an acknowledgement that there are different points of view.”

Peter Ford, former British Ambassador to Syria

Dr Tim Anderson, University of Sydney

Lord Carey of Clifton

Baroness Cox

Lord Gordon of Strathblane

Dr Michael Langrish, former Bishop of Exeter

Lord Stoddart of Swindon

2024 regime change

Full article: 2024 Syrian Insurgency

File:Syria Old And New.jpg

Syria, old and new.

Watch on YouTube

Vanessa Beeley explains the Russia-Iran rivalry that lead to the 2024 regime change (Oct 18, 2025) / A dark day in Russian history - I discuss the Al Qaeda gathering in the Kremlin wth Jamarl Thomas

The overthrow of the Assad government in late 2024 was made possible by a mobile application which use has spread among the military.

Cybersecurity experts analysing the incident emphasise that this was not a result of sophisticated hacking—it was a strategic failure at a command level. “This was not a complex breach. It was a case of soldiers willingly sideloading a fake Android app, opening the door to real-time espionage.”

Bloomberg reported that "Russia" convinced Bashar al Assad to flee the country.

RUSI described in a 2025 paper that there was a rivalry between Russia and Iran in Syria, Russia for example allowing Israeli airstrikes on Iranian/Hezbollah forces to go through on a regular bases.

Drug trafficking

Noting that Saudi Prince Abdel Mohsen Bin Walid Bin Abdulaziz was held in Syria with four other men and around 2 tons of amphetamines in the Prince's private jet, The Telegraph reported in 2015 that the country has a growing role as an exporter of illegal drugs.