Defense Minister says Syria’s Assad has won the civil war

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman says that President Bashar Assad has been “victorious” in Syria’s civil war and is now being courted by former enemies.

“Assad has emerged victorious in the battle,” he tells Israeli news website Walla.

“Suddenly, everyone wants to get closer to Assad,” he says. “I see that there is now a long line of countries applauding and wooing Assad, including Western (and) moderate Sunni Muslim (states).”

Assad’s fortunes have changed dramatically since Russia launched a military intervention to shore up his forces in 2015, and he now appears well on top after a series of key victories.

Israel has accused Assad-backer Iran of transferring sophisticated weapons to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and has sporadically struck weapons convoys to the Shiite movement inside the war-ravaged country, as well as Syrian government forces.

Lieberman says Israel is hoping for increased American involvement to counterbalance the Iranian threat.

“We hope that the United States will be more active on the Syrian front and in the Middle East in general. We are on the northern front against the Russians, Iranians, Turks and Hezbollah,” he says.

— AFP