Interview with Fars News Agency
Sarah Abed: US Aims for Long-Term Presence in Syria to Check Iran and Ensure Israeli Domination
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian journalist Sarah Abed says that the United States seeks to have a long-term presence in Syria and the region to keep an eye on Iran and guard their number one ally in the region which is the Zionist regime in Tel Aviv.
Sarah Abed, in an exclusive interview with FNA, said that establishing an independent Kurdish state in Syria is just part of the decades-long Israeli-American plan to weaken and divide all the nations neighboring Israel.
The journalist also added that the presence of the Turkish forces in Syria is seen as illegal and just like other uninvited foreign fighters in violation of the UN Charters and international law.
Sarah Abed is an independent journalist and political commentator, covering a broad range of issues relating to the Syrian war, Kurdish issues in Iraq and Syria, as well as US policy in the Middle East. She has been interviewed by international media outlets such as Press TV, FOX News 1450 and Radio Sputnik.
FNA has conducted an interview with Sarah Abed about the ongoing crisis in Syria and the recent developments surrounding the issue namely the missile strikes on the Arab country by the US and its allies and also the American plan for an independent Kurdish state on Syrian soil.Below you will find the full text of the interview.
Q: Multiple places in Syria came under attack by the United States and its allies, namely Britain and France, based on a video footage of an alleged gas attack in Syria’s Douma released by the White Helmets. Who are the White Helmets? How can their unverified video be presented as justification for a large-scale attack on Syria?
A: The White Helmets are also known as Syria Civil Defense claim to be a “humanitarian organization”. The White Helmets won an Oscar for best documentary and were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. According to their Twitter account, they claim that they are “3,922 volunteer search and rescue workers from local communities who risk their lives to save others and bring hope”. They also state that they have “saved +104,933 lives”.
The reality on the ground, however, is an entirely different story. They hijacked the name “Syria Civil Defense”. The White Helmets were created with the assistance of Western intelligence by former British Army officer and mercenary James Le Mesurier. Their main goal initially was the ousting of President Assad, through the use of propaganda against the Syrian government and army. They have acted out fake rescue operations and even staged chemical weapon attacks in order to gain financial and emotional support from governments and well-meaning but unfortunately uninformed western spectators.
These fabrications have been used as pretexts for foreign military and political aggression against the Syrian state. Most recently The White Helmets have been described by locals as actors, who produce and film fabrications in order to get funding from a number of NATO members mainly the US and UK.
Although they claim to be an impartial non-governmental “NGO” made up of volunteers, each member is paid $1,500 a month, an amount that is drastically higher than the average monthly Syrian salary. They have received millions of dollars of funding from the US and UK. All while committing a myriad of atrocities including killing not only Syrian soldiers and captives but innocent women and children as well. They have been thoroughly exposed by independent journalists as well as the Russian and Syrian government for their crimes. Most recently the Douma incident has shed light on the extent to which this group will go to fabricate an incident in order to evoke a military response from the United States.
An earlier example is the liberation of Aleppo which took place late 2016 by the Syrian Arab Army and their allies. Civilians revealed that they had only heard of the white helmets on TV or in publications. Others stated that The White Helmets were only concerned with “rescuing” terrorist sympathizers. It comes as no surprise that they shared buildings with terrorist factions. They also were hoarding food, medical supplies, and aid that were meant for the locals. Recently Washington has suspended their funding and put the group under “active review”. This affects ⅓ of their funding. It’s interesting to note that these supposed “volunteers” only operate in areas where terrorists reside and they leave with the terrorists when they relocate to other areas in the country when the Syrian Arab Army and their allies liberate the areas.
It’s ridiculous that the US/UK/France used a fabricated video presented to them by The White Helmets to strike targets in Syria last month. A completely unjustified and illegal action, that destroyed research centers that did not house chemical weapons as these countries alleged. Citizens have reported that no such chemical weapons attack took place in Douma.
Eyewitnesses were flown to The Hague and gave their testimonies which matched that of other civilians that were interviewed by reporters in Douma. They stated that not only did The White Helmets create a chaotic event and filmed it, but that none of the patients showed signs of chemical weapon poisoning. The fact that the US acted as judge, jury, and executioner, as I had stated in an interview with Radio Sputnik, is disturbing. The day before the OPCW investigators were scheduled to arrive in Syria, the US along with the UK and France took matters into their own hands. This irrational action has now been proven to be illegitimate and hasty.
Q: We have seen the Israeli regime and the so-called US-led coalition targeting the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allied forces many times. What do you think is the reason for such moves?
A: Whenever the SAA and its allies make significant on-the-ground progress, Israel and the US-led coalition take actions to hinder their progress. They have on multiple occasions directly hit SAA military bases which in turn benefits terrorist organizations including Daesh. These airstrikes are illegal and illegitimate provocations meant to stir a reaction from Syria, Russia, Iran, or Hezbollah in hopes that they would respond with military action. Israel can then use any defensive response and claim that it was an offensive strike and then retaliate based on the notion of self-defense, even though they are the agitators in this scenario. It’s important to note that although they might temporarily delay advancements made by the SAA and their allies, they do not have long-lasting results and will not impact the ultimate goal of liberating every inch of the country which would then set the stage for peace to return to Syrian state which has been aggressively attacked by foreign nations and foreign-backed terrorists for over seven years in this western imposed insurrection and attempt at ‘regime change”.
Q: Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, Saudi Arabia has been actively supporting terrorists in the country. These terrorists are now losing ground every day. What do you think would be the implications of such failure for the Saudi foreign policy?
A: Indeed they have supported terrorist factions, and these groups have gone through a number of costume changes and re-branding. KSA has gotten a generally abysmal return on their investment, but will this change their policies as a matter of course? The members of the House of Saud are closely aligned with the United States and Israel against their own Arab brothers and sisters in the Middle East. They have been raining bombs and killing civilians in Yemen for the past 3 years while supporting terrorist factions in Syria. To think that they might lose interest or back away from either of these battlefields is to underestimate their ambitions and greed. Although their arrogance will most likely prevent them from retreating anytime soon it will be interesting to see where they funnel their support once their terrorist factions have been defeated.
Q: The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have received a tremendous amount of arms and support from the United States, initially with the stated aim to fight Daesh (ISIL or ISIS). But apparently, the US is now preparing the ground to establish an independent Kurdish state in Syria. What do you think the US is seeking to achieve by disintegrating Syria?
A: Since the US invasion of Iraq and the ongoing conflict in Syria, Kurdish militias have been romanticized by the media and US politicians alike to justify a Western interventionist narrative in those countries. The People’s Protection Unit (YPG) is a Kurdish-majority militia which is the military wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish democratic confederalist political party in northeastern Syria. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is an organization based in Turkey and Iraq that has been engaged in armed conflicts with the Turkish state since 1984.
The plan to weaken and divide not only Syria but other nations surrounding Israel has been in the works for decades by the United States. By establishing a Kurdish state in Syria the United States hopes to have a long-term presence in the area. This benefits the US by allowing them to keep a watchful eye on Iran while also protecting their number one ally in the region Israel. In Oded Yinon’s “Plan for a Greater Israel” in 1982, it states the imperative use of Kurds to help divide neighboring countries in order to aid in their plans for greater domination. The United States has established over 10 military bases in the northeastern portion of the country, which also happens to be the most oil and agriculturally rich region. The United States and its allies underestimated not only the determination of the Syrian Arab Army and their allies but the resilience of the Syrian people as a whole. Syrians will stop at nothing to keep their nation united and any attempts to divide and weaken their sovereign state will be countered with a powerful response.
Q: The US announcement on its plans to recognize a Kurdish state in Syria has seemingly provoked the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas. What are Turkey’s objectives in its military intervention and how do you think this recent development would affect the process of reaching peace in Syria?
A: Turkey has seen the accumulation of Kurdish armed factions on its border as a threat to its national security. It has looked at the relationship between the United States and Kurdish militias very unfavorably and Erdogan has personally stated his discontent with this alliance. Turkey’s plans were to return Syrian refugees on the Turkish border back to Afrin and they had stated that they do not plan on staying in Syria long term. Syrian officials see Turkish forces as an illegal presence and just like other uninvited foreign fighters they are violating UN Charters and international law and must withdraw their forces from Syrian territory. They are yet another hurdle in liberating the entire country of all illegal, illegitimate, and uninvited armed invaders. In due time, just like their American and NATO counterparts, they will be dealt with by the Syrian Arab Army and government.
This interview was published by Fars News Agency on July 19th, 2018. It was republished by TRH on July 24th, 2018.
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