BEIRUT — A U.S. envoy doubled down on Washington’s assist 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 crucial tone towards Israel’s recent intervention in Syria, calling it poorly timed and saying that it sophisticated 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 in the southern province of Sweida between militias of the Druze religious 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 beneath a ceasefire settlement with Druze factions. A whole lot 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 last week on behalf of the Druze, who’re seen as a loyal minority inside Israel and infrequently serve in its army. 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 announced 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 either side had been set to be evacuated Monday.
Barrack advised the AP that “the killing, the revenge, the massacres on either side” are “insupportable,” however that “the present authorities of Syria, in my view, has carried out themselves as finest they will as a nascent authorities with only a few assets to deal with the multiplicity of points that come up in attempting to convey a various society collectively.” At a later press convention he stated the Syrian authorities “have to be held accountable” for violations.
Concerning Israel’s strikes on Syria, Barrack stated: “The USA 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.”
Nonetheless, he stated that Israel’s intervention “creates one other very complicated chapter” and “got here at a really dangerous time.”
Previous to the battle in Sweida, Israel and Syria had been partaking in talks over safety issues, whereas the Trump administration had been pushing them to maneuver towards a full normalization of diplomatic relations.
When the physical games 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 stated. “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 stated. It doesn’t deal with the broader points between the 2 nations, together with Israel’s rivalry that the realm south of Damascus must be a demilitarized zone.
Within the discussions main as much as the ceasefire, Barrack stated “either side did the very best they will” 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 special query,” he stated.
He advised that Israel would favor to see Syria fragmented and divided reasonably than a powerful central state in charge of the nation.
“Robust nation states are a menace — particularly Arab states are seen as a menace to Israel,” he stated. However in Syria, he stated, “I believe the entire the minority communities are sensible sufficient to say, we’re higher off collectively, centralized.”
The violence in Sweida has deepened the mistrust of minority spiritual 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 hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority, to which Assad belongs, earlier this yr 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 executed sufficient.
On the identical time, Damascus has been negotiating with the Kurdish forces that management a lot of northeast Syria to implement an agreement that would 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, stated he doesn’t imagine the violence in Sweida will derail these talks and that there may very well 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 provided to offer protection help to Syria.
Barrack stated 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 stated.
Barrack’s go to to Lebanon got here amid ongoing home and worldwide stress 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 stated the ceasefire settlement “didn’t work.”
Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon that it says are geared toward stopping Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. Hezbollah has stated 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 “inside” 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 stated. He added that the U.S. “can’t compel Israel to do something” on the subject of the ceasefire.