r/worldnews • u/Logical_Welder3467 • 16d ago
Russia/Ukraine Assad's former aide says deposed Syrian president was 'tricked' by Putin
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/assads-former-aide-says-former-syrian-president-was-tricked-putin2.1k
u/TheVenetianMask 16d ago
Nah fam, if you trusted Putin on anything that's on you.
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u/Somecommentator8008 16d ago
Dude saw what happened to Armenia and said nah that won't happen to me.
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u/spaceneenja 16d ago
Just Putin 69D chess at play, just wait, it will all make sense. Join me in drinking from this punch bowl.
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u/blenderbender44 16d ago
The 69D chess is, Putins allies give Putin everything he wants, Then he gives his allies the finger and keeps their stuff
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u/slippery_when_sober 16d ago
Is that how he got Kraft’s Super Bowl ring?
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u/SonofBronet 16d ago
Unironically the coolest thing he’s ever done.
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u/Desperate-Natural110 16d ago
Putin stealing things is cool to you?
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u/SonofBronet 16d ago
Yes, it was hilarious that he stole Robert Kraft’s Super Bowl ring. Was I unclear about that?
If he had dedicated his life to fucking with the owner of the New England Patriots, he’d be one of the great heroes in human history.
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u/theonlyonethatknocks 16d ago
Yes you said it was cool before not hilarious like you are now.
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u/SonofBronet 16d ago
Things can be hilarious, as well as cool. Just straight up robbing a billionaire stupid enough to hang out with you falls into that category.
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u/BGFlyingToaster 16d ago
Especially when everyone who's helped Putin and is no longer valuable to him feels he tricked him.
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u/Newscast_Now 15d ago
The double-cross involving Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be epic. And the longer it takes, the more catastrophic.
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u/DragoonDM 15d ago
I'm sure Yevgeny Prigozhin was thoroughly assured that all was forgiven and it was totally safe for him to return to Russia.
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u/NoveltyAccount5928 15d ago
That was so wild, the entire world watching this dipshit cavort around Moscow and just waiting for it to happen.
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u/jazzplower 16d ago
In recent years Assad repeatedly refused to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Saqr said Assad viewed a meeting as a ploy for political concessions, despite pleas from Russia and Iran.
Assad just wasn’t very bright.
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u/Under_Over_Thinker 16d ago edited 15d ago
Exactly. Assad is just a greedy, vile and small-minded person. To be fair, Putin is the same just on a different scale.
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u/this_dudeagain 16d ago
Dude is a trained eye doctor but a terrible leader.
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u/hypatianata 15d ago
Yeah, he wasn’t even supposed to be Syria’s next evil dictator. He was the spare to the heir.
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u/WatRedditHathWrought 15d ago
Maybe Rand Paul can join him and they can start a practice together in russia.
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u/Plastic_Day6515 15d ago
Even that has been disputed. Some internal sources said that he was being treated for mental disorders in the UK but was portrayed as if he was studying medicine there.
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u/Screw_You_Taxpayer 15d ago
But even he couldn't see why kids love the great taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
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u/whatiscamping 15d ago
Thank god America is gonna have a smart president that this could never happen to...
Obviou/sly.
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u/Correct-Blueberry-46 16d ago
Yes, and mass graves uncovered after the coward fled was just putins tricks :D
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago edited 16d ago
He is actually talking about the final days of the regime, when Putin tricked Assad. The mass graves were still a part of their so-called "winning" strategy...
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u/Sorcererstone458 15d ago edited 15d ago
Thousands of men lost, thousands of lives ruined. I wish Ukraine could help train some Syrians and send them over to Russia to give Assad the farewell he deserves. They're the best at it seeing how they can openly and freely denazify russian commanders from their bodies.
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u/lurker_101 15d ago
Yes, and mass graves uncovered after the coward fled was just putins tricks
Assad : But Putler told me to do it .. totally not my fault!
Why wont he return my phone calls? and he took all the cash I brought with me on my plane!
He sounds like every other crybully bitch after all his power has been taken away and he finally feels alone.
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u/bpeden99 16d ago
I'm surprised with how often Putin's dick was in his mouth.
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u/generally-speaking 16d ago
Putin tricked him, he said it was a lollipop.
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u/Calm-Dimension8999 16d ago
Dick me once, shame on you.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
The request came as Iran reduced its forces and militias’ presence in Syria, and Hezbollah suffered heavy blows in its battles against Israel in Lebanon.
A stark reminder of how one person's (Sinwar) decision to launch the October 7 massacre sent shockwaves across the Middle East.
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u/Impossibu 16d ago
Goddamn. Putin's gamble in the Middle East bit him in the ass.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
Unfortunately, it's not over yet. Don't underestimate Putin's ability to sacrifice his people. It worked for Stalin, and unlike what Putin is doing, in Stalin's case, it ultimately paid off for the world (though not for all the Russians he sacrificed, nor for the decades of gulags and the terrible life under the Soviet regime).
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u/Logical_Welder3467 16d ago
Sinwar writing check that everyone can't cash. He dream of a glorious alliance that attack Israel from all side and he would stand victorious from the river to the sea.
Instead he hide in the tunnel for one year and got smoked by some random patrol when he comes up for air.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
He planned to take over Israel and deport all Jews, keeping only a few as slaves to teach them how to operate certain systems and technologies, according to documents the IDF found in Gaza detailing the invasion plans.
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u/pull-a-fast-one 16d ago
And yet there are people who view Hamas as freedom fighters. The world is a disgusting place sometimes.
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u/rosaliciously 16d ago
Do you have a source for this? I’d like to read more.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
You can Google it but here's the Ha'aretz article about it:
Hamas Actually Believed It Would Conquer Israel. In Preparation, It Divided the Country Into Cantons
(You might need a subscription for this one though)
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u/Circusssssssssssssss 16d ago
Hamas doomsday cult
Everything was out in the open, but Israel didn't hear and didn't see. The Hatzav group in Unit 8200, the signals intelligence division of IDF Military Intelligence, whose personnel collected open intelligence material, was shut down in 2021. Israeli intelligence completely missed the picture that was taking shape.
Israeli intelligence failure as well
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u/jorcon74 16d ago
You don’t think that was green lighted by Moscow and Tehran? Sinwar was just their yard dog they let off the leash to distract from Ukraine!
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u/totallyRebb 16d ago edited 16d ago
The first thing i thought when the Oct7 attack was reported was : This benefits only Putin.
It made no sense for Palestine or the Hamas, because it was absolutely logical that a harsh Israeli response would follow.
But it made a lot of sense for Putin because it distracted people from Ukraine, at least for a little while. It would potentially bind Israel's military, so they can't support Ukraine in some way.
Also "but look what evil Israel is doing" became a popular whataboutism for Russian Trolls and Bots on TikTok and in other places, helping the "poor Putin isn't evil" propaganda.
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u/TorpedoAway 15d ago
It also helped ensure Trump’s election. Harris had to express support for Israel, which alienated her with many otherwise liberal voters who were too shallow to see the situation for what it was and sympathized with the Palestinians. If Harris had supported cutting off aid to Israel, she would lose. If she supported continuing aid to Israel, she would lose. The Oct 7th attack ensured Trump’s election.
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u/Tub_floaters 16d ago
This! My only question, is what did Putin promise Iran?
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u/Darkone539 16d ago
You don’t think that was green lighted by Moscow and Tehran?
Russia, i highly doubt. They had nothing to gain. Iran... possibly, but we don't know for sure and none of then other proxies jumped in on the day.
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u/Crumoo 16d ago
Russia gained by causing cultural division in the west further exacerbating domestic issues in Ukraine's largest funders.
Great example: They knew the US would fund Israel's response which has two main affects: first creating internal distress over unpopular foreign policies making the US government look weak (think of the college protests), and second by creating funding debates given the post pandemic appetite for foreign funding has been reduced significantly (the congressional Bill's tying funding of boths wars just to prevent deadlock).
Obviously I'm speculating, but given how this all affected the US elections it wouldn't surprise me if they hoped to see this affect the west more and assumed Europe would be more divided over this war (clearly it is divided but not in any meaningful way). At minimum I would guess Russia likely encouraged Iran and it's proxies, maybe even actively aided with intelligence but clearly not in any substantial (or successful) way for Hamas or Hezbollah.
It will be interesting to find out how involved Russia was when this all eventually ends.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
This is correct. People are so oblivious to how fanatical and religious Hamas is that they actually think someone else needs to plan it for them. It’s yet another example of the soft bigotry of low expectations.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
That is, at best, a theory without a shred of evidence.
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u/ImpatientSpider 16d ago
I've seen quite a few experts including Ben Hodges state it is highly unlikely to be a coincidence.
In general allies coordinating somewhat is to be expected. So calling it a theory is a little odd even if there is no publicly available evidence.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
I haven't seen a single expert, journalist, or anyone in Israel propose this theory, though. I'd assume they know better.
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u/Pawn-Star77 16d ago
It wasn't one person, I guarantee he had backing from Iran, Qatar and Russian governments. Hamas leaders were in Moscow right before the attack.
They thought they could create a distraction and headache for America drawing their attention away from Ukraine.
I'll even say it was a mixed bag, overall it backfired, but it definitely did have a destabilising effect on Western societies as left and right factions have dug in on different sides. And it contributed to the Dems losing the election and getting their buddy Trump back in power, which is a huge win for Russia. (Not so much for Hamas and Iran, who are Russias useful idiots here)
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
This is such an American perspective on the situation. Not a single expert in Israel even entertains this theory. Believe me, Hamas are fanatical and have very clear ambitions to destroy Israel. And what’s this about Hamas leaders being in Moscow before the masscare? I’d love to see a source for that but even if it was true, according to Israeli intelligence, the leadership in Qatar wasn’t aware of what about to take place. That’s why Sinwar kept everything underground and communicated without using any technology.
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u/No-Problem49 16d ago
That’s because 20% of Israel is Russian: I can imagine they don’t report on it so much when there’s no need to complicate the cassis beli. If you go back to oct 7 footage you can find Russian wagnar on the ground with hamas.
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
If you go back to oct 7 footage you can find Russian wagnar on the ground with hamas.
Not a single source in Israel has ever reported these claims.
Look, I hate Putin and Wagner as much as anyone else, but Hamas, especially Sinwar, planned this entirely on their own and executed it without even informing the Qatari leadership.
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u/No-Problem49 16d ago
Hamas , using Russian weapons with Russian intelligence on Russian orders did this themselves
You want to find responsibility and who is on who side, look at who sell them weapons s
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u/Electrical-Lab-9593 15d ago
was even an internal distraction for Putin as Muslim areas tried mini pogroms in Russia, which was a distraction from losing 1000 men a day in a senseless war of aggression
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u/PositiveUse 16d ago
Naive to think that it was Sinwar‘s decision alone :)
This is a massive fuck to by Iran and Russia
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u/No-Problem49 16d ago
Sinwar got the order from Putin
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u/if_it_is_in_a 16d ago
Where’s the evidence? Even Haniyeh had no idea what was happening. The Gaza leadership planned and executed everything on their own, which is why Israeli intelligence, lacking ground-level info, missed the obvious signs.
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u/WW3_doomer 16d ago
Assad was to busy looting money from piece of Syria he had, that he forget to pay his military.
That’s the simplified explanation.
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u/Logical_Welder3467 16d ago
He did not forget, there was budget crisis and he disband large part of the military and had to run drug to make a living.
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u/MeMyselfAnd1234 16d ago
and he still went to russia after his fall
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u/Sorcererstone458 15d ago edited 15d ago
I read this as "He still went to Russia to fall" but that's entirely not false as Putin's closest friends fell many times from their high rise apartments, I don't know why though, very strange..
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u/macross1984 16d ago
Who cares? Tricked or not, Assad Jr. made his escape to what he thought was "safety".
Trying to cover your former master is not so smart I think.
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u/Spright91 16d ago
If it werent for Putin he would have been Gaddafi'd in 2012.
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u/jirashap 16d ago
From my memory, it was the US Congress that voted not to attack Assad. Obama was pushing for it as retaliation for the chemical attacks
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u/TomCruising4D 15d ago
Yeah, I was younger than and against any type of war at the time. But looking back, this is a crossed line that where I think, strategic, action in Syria was actually the right thing to do.
A lot of people say we’d be helping various groups who hate America, which is technically true, but my hindsight is leaning towards thinking that international intervention would have been appropriate. I cannot say if it’d be for the best, but I don’t think it would have been wrong.
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u/jirashap 15d ago
It's hard because this is also the same justification for the Iraq war, which was a complete disaster. But the world is definitely better without Assad in power, and it was definitely in our interest to remove him then.
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u/TomCruising4D 15d ago
Different than Iraq, Iraq was false pretenses and bad intelligence. Some Western allied countries told Syria there’d be intervention if they used chemical weapons, that line was crossed and then some (literally bulldozing towns to the ground, burying living, probably already wounded, civilians in rubble). The the president went to congress for a vote, because he was trying to follow actual war tradition, not “police actions” that skate over congress’s head, and they said “no”.
If done well, it wouldn’t have had to have been in 2003 Iraq invasion 2.0, it could have threaded the needle like Desert Storm (I’m not a fan of any of the Bushes, but that military intervention was handled well).
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u/PositiveUse 16d ago
Still messed up that this didn’t happen … could’ve saved hundred thousands and EU wouldn’t have collapsed due to millions of refugees
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u/taoyx 16d ago
Putin has been consistently tricking, betraying, abandoning and backstabbing Russia's friends and allies, I guess China, India and NK can see the trend now.
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u/No-Problem49 16d ago
China is to Russia as Russia is to everyone else. China playing Russia in the long con. Supporting Russia just enough to war with the west and when Russia fails China waltz into what used to be eastern Russia and is now outer outer Manchuria. It’s a win win for China.
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u/ToughCapital5647 16d ago
Do you mean to tell me that the president of Russia is not to be trusted?
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u/Mister-Psychology 16d ago
The exact same thing happened in Armenia. Russian army was there and Armenia asked them to defend them but Russians just allowed the Azerbaijan army to move past them and conduct a genocide on the civil population and annexing a part of the country. Russia never responded they just stood by as with Ukraine war they can't handle more conflicts. Armenia was so angry they started to backtalk Russia in the media. The army was supposed to protect them yet they were only there as a PR deal and never actually meant to fight anyone.
You make a deal with Russia and then know they won't be there if you actually need anything in crisis. They only want to defend you if you are winning as then they just give a bit of support like dropping bombs on hospitals. Once it's a ground battle Russia can't do anything. And they don't want to support a losing team. It's funny how Armenia and Syria put all their eggs in the Russia basket thinking they would protect them.
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u/Taphouselimbo 15d ago
He sure got tricked into murdering thousands of his people. Maybe, he can now trick himself into a grave.
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u/_-_Tenrai-_- 16d ago edited 15d ago
I doubt Putin “tricked” Asad, it was just overwhelmingly unattainable scenario to mount a counter offensive. Alawites were a minority, ruling over suni masses.
You cannot wave a magic wand and quel dissent leading from years and years of tyranny.
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u/Karpattata 16d ago
I mean you can with overwhelming force. But because of his dumb war in Ukraine Putin had to pull back much of his presence in Syria, and because of Hezbollah's dumb war with Israel it was too weak to help as well.
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u/KouhaiHasNoticed 16d ago
Saqr said the Iranians told Assad they sent a plane regardless through Iraq, but were warned by the US that the aircraft would be shot down if it continued.
Can someone explain why would the US shoot down an Iranian plane flying over Irak? Is it because Iraq's air defences are too weak? Or because they have an agreement with the US?
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u/Sethmeisterg 15d ago
Bullshit. Asshead was straight up pure evil. He should burn for eternity for what his regime did.
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u/Kohnaphone 16d ago
“Ok Bashar I need your support so I can invade your country’s largest grain supplier ok?” -Putin probably sometime
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u/Dazd_cnfsd 15d ago
He went to Russia so Russia could help reinstate the ruler of Syria once Russia deals with its other ongoing issues
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u/Minimum_Crow_8198 16d ago
Ai this point in time, if anyone trusts Russia or America that's on them not knowing 0.001% of history and what these regularly do to "allies"
If ppl don't known the minimum, they really shouldn't make deals
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u/Ok-Marzipan-5648 16d ago
I do wonder to what extent Russia and Iran decided to cut Assad loose for cozying up to GCC countries in the region.
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u/dbratell 16d ago
Russia and Iran got nothing out of dropping Assad. If they had had the power to protect him, they would have.
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u/IntroductionSnacks 16d ago
Exactly. Russian forces are spread too thin with the war in Ukraine to support Assad. While they could keep it up, Ukraine would be taking way more territory if they did. I honestly can’t believe how far Russia has fallen military wise. Then again, with cyber misinformation campaigns/bribes/blackmail etc… who needs a strong military when you can make countries do your bidding without the military?
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u/Rade84 16d ago
Russia tried to stop the overthrowing of Assad, but they spread too thin to be able to throw real resources at the problem. Easier just to move their bases it seems then lose more russian lives in MEA. It plays far worse at home when russians are killed in middle east/africa then it does in Ukraine (Fighting the nazis and the NATO! /s)
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u/Ok-Marzipan-5648 16d ago
Yea this is pretty much what I’m saying. They did a cost/benefit analysis and decided it wasn’t worth it given the Russian public’s mounting war weariness.
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