Alwaght- Dozens of families have started to leave the Syrian city of Aleppo after the Syrian army declared it had cut off militant supply routes and set up corridors for humanitarian purposes.
This marked a huge a success for the Syrian army which encircled the militant-infested city and has been engaged in fierce battles to liberate it. This may also be a miniscule model of a nationwide victory. However, the Americans and their allies are obviously not thrilled about it.
According to a report published by the Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper, the advances made by the Syrian army and its allies are expected to influence developments on the battlefield, both between the warring sides and the international players involved in the Syrian crisis with the US and Russia at the forefront.
It further explained that the victory in Aleppo negatively impacts the balance on the battlefield that had so far prevented the implementation of political resolutions at the negotiating table.
“It seems clear that the United States and its allies, including Israel and Jordan, as signs have indicated, have read well the direction of the latest field situation and its developments. They are certain of the militant groups’ loss in the north and they have become concerned with finding some sort of military balance that could prevent—or limit at the very least—the Syrian government and its allies from reaping their accomplishments on the political level,” the article read.
It almost equated Aleppo to Damascus in its strategic importance in charting the future of the war. It even suggested that the anti-Assad party is planning to shift the focus of the battles to southern Syria near the border with the Israeli-occupied land, basing the speculation on statements from the US Defense Minister Ashton Carter as well as Israeli media.
Soon after news of Aleppo emerged, Israeli media revealed joint US-Israeli military exercises in the southern Negev region. The drills simulated a joint confrontation against ISIS. This was linked to the “opportunities” in the southern Syrian front.
Furthermore, increased plans to provide “humanitarian assistance” to Syrians coming in from Syria’s southern border triggered doubt. Israeli reports stated that the Israeli military is considering establishing a “safe zone” in southern Syria in cooperation with an organization owned by an affluent American-Israeli businessman.
In short, the report tries to show that there is a US-Israeli plot to restore military balance in Syria through its southern front under the pretext of fighting ISIS.
The scenario has been drawn but that does not mean that it is feasible. What matters now is that there is a joint US-Israeli attempt to compensate for the losses in Aleppo and minimize its influence on the rest of Syria, lest the Syrian army wins the war. Now it remains to be seen whether these plans will translate into action or will be shelved for another period of the Syrian crisis.
