Syrians watch Iran-Israel crossfire as government stays silent
Iran was one of former ruler Bashar al-Assad's biggest backers, playing a crucial role in propping up his government by providing military advisers and the support of affiliated armed groups throughout the 14-year Syrian civil war.
Israel, meanwhile, has occupied the Golan Heights since seizing it from Syria in 1967, and has kept troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone there since December, when the fall of Assad at the hands of an Islamist-led coalition sparked a wave of Israeli air strikes on military targets.
But despite both countries looming large in Syrian affairs over the years, Damascus -- and everyday Syrians -- appear eager to keep the current crisis at arm's length.
"From my balcony at night, I watch the missiles going towards Israel and the anti-missile systems, and I observe the explosions in the sky," said surgeon Mohammed Khayr al-Jirudi.
"The people are fed up with everything related to killing and destruction, we've had enough. Therefore, we are currently in the position of spectators to both sides, and will not gloat over either of them."
On Friday, Israel launched an unprecedented campaign against Iran, saying it aimed to stop the country from obtaining the nuclear bomb -- an ambition Tehran denies.
Iran has responded with barrages of ballistic missiles targeting Israeli cities, with the exchanges of fire sparking fears of regional spillover.
Unlike most Arab countries, which issued strong condemnations of Israel's strikes, Syria's new government has not commented on the war, potentially signalling a shift in the country's regional posture.
"It is very difficult for us to take a stand," Jirudi said, with many war-weary Syrians seeming to share the government's reluctance.
'Both dictatorial systems'
Sitting with his wife in Damascus' famous Rawda cafe, 42-year-old actor Ahmad Malas said he hoped to "be rid of both the Iranian and Israeli regimes, as they are both dictatorial systems (and) Syrian people have been paying the price for their actions".
However, he added, "I have an emotional connection with the Iranian people, and with the Palestinian people, as their cause has been ours for a long time".
Iran's support for Assad following his violent repression of peaceful protests in 2011 created strong animosity towards Tehran among many Syrians.
Thousands of Iranians left Syria after the fall of Assad, and Tehran's embassy was subjected to looting and vandalism.
The walls surrounding the embassy in Damascus still bear the spray-painted slogans "curse Iran" and "free Iran".
Since becoming Syria's interim president, former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly criticised Iran's role in his country during the civil war, stating that restoring relations with Tehran will require respect for Syria's "sovereignty" and "non-interference" in its affairs.
Iran has said it is "not in a hurry" to establish ties with the new Syrian authorities.
Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syria since Assad's fall, saying it aimed to stop advanced weapons from reaching the new rulers, whom it considers jihadists.
Israeli troops in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights have also regularly carried out ground incursions, condemned by Damascus.
Syria admitted to holding indirect talks with Israel seeking de-escalation, and the United States has called for it to normalise ties with its southern neighbour.
'Neutrality'
Amid the breaches of Syria's airspace, at least one civilian has been killed and several others injured by fallen debris from intercepted projectiles.
The Syrian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the war.
"Damascus adheres to a policy of neutrality... It tries to completely distance itself from the war and any mention of it, because Syria has no interest in getting involved," said Bassam al-Suleiman, a political analyst close to the new authorities.
As the government tries to kickstart post-war economic recovery and reconstruction, Syria's primary battle is "internal", according to Suleiman.
He added that while "both Israel and Iran are a source of danger, we have no stake in this war", which he said Syria should "avoid".
From a rooftop nightclub overlooking Damascus, a 27-year-old doctor who gave her name as Sarah watched the flash of missiles in the sky.
"We try to forget the atmosphere of war by spending time here with friends," she said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
33 minutes ago
- France 24
Trump's remarks in full after US strikes on Iran
Here is what Trump said in full: "A short time ago the US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. "Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. "Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. "Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. "Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier. "For 40 years, Iran has been saying, 'Death to America, Death to Israel.' "They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their specialty, we lost over 1,000 people. "And hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate, in particular, so many were killed by their general Qasem Soleimani. "I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue. "I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. "I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done. "And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. "Hopefully we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that's so. "I also want to congratulate the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan 'Razin' Caine, spectacular general, and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack. "With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. "Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. "But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. "There's no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago. "Tomorrow, General Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, will have a press conference at 8 am at the Pentagon. "And I want to just thank everybody, and in particular, God. I want to just say we love you, God, and we love our great military, protect them. © 2025 AFP
LeMonde
44 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Netanyahu congratulates Trump, says US 'unsurpassed' after 'bold' attack on Iran that will 'change history'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on Sunday, June 22, after the president said the US military bombed three nuclear sites in Iran. "Congratulations President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history," Netanyahu said in a video message, adding that the attacks demonstrated "America has been truly unsurpassed." Netanyahu added that Trump had created a "pivot of history" that will "help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace." Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern Saturday at strikes carried out by the US, calling them a "dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge." "At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos," Guterres said in a statement. "There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace." US leaders react Following Trump's announcement on Saturday, US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who was briefed by the White House ahead of the strike, said in a statement, "President Trump has been consistent and clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be tolerated ... That posture has now been enforced with strength, precision, and clarity." US Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Iranian regime's "misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped." Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Iran hawk and Republican from South Carolina, wrote online: "This was the right call. The regime deserves it." Meanwhile, elected Democrats and some far-right Republicans questioned the move, particularly without authorization from the US Congress. "Horrible judgment," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. "I will push for all Senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war." Said conservative Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, "While President Trump's decision may prove just, it's hard to conceive a rationale that's Constitutional."
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
Trump says US has struck 3 Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israeli air campaign
President Donald Trump said Saturday, June 21, that the US military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran's threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict. Iran's nuclear agency on Sunday confirmed the attacks. The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to systematically eradicate the country's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But US and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump said in a post on social media. "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home." Trump added in a later post that he would address the nation at 10 pm Eastern time, writing, "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!" Trump said B-2 stealth bombers were used but did not specify what types of bombs were dropped. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation. The strikes are a perilous decision, as Iran has pledged to retaliate if the US joined the Israeli assault, and for Trump personally. He won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. Trump told reporters Friday that he was not interested in sending ground forces into Iran, saying it's "the last thing you want to do." He had previously indicated that he would make a final choice over the course of two weeks. Iran's nuclear agency on Sunday confirmed attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz atomic sites, but is insisting its work will not be stopped. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued the statement after Trump announced the attack on the facilities. "The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the great Iranian nation that despite the evil conspiracies of its enemies, with the efforts of thousands of its revolutionary and motivated scientists and experts, it will not allow the development of this national industry, which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, to be stopped," it said in its statement. 'Irreparable damage' Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States on Wednesday that strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will "result in irreparable damage for them." And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared "any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region." Help us improve Le Monde in English Dear reader, We'd love to hear your thoughts on Le Monde in English! Take this quick survey to help us improve it for you. Trump has vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and he had initially hoped that the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear program peacefully. The Israeli military said Saturday it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran's foreign minister warned before the US attack that American military involvement "would be very, very dangerous for everyone." The prospect of a wider war loomed. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign. The Houthis paused such attacks in May under a deal with the US. The US ambassador to Israel announced that the US had begun "assisted departure flights," the first from Israel since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump planned to make his decision on the strikes within two weeks. Instead, he struck just two days later. Trump appears to have made the calculation — at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers — that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear program, perhaps permanently. The Israelis say their offensive has already crippled Iran's air defenses, allowing them to already significantly degrade multiple Iranian nuclear sites. But to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, Israel appealed to Trump for the bunker-busting American bomb known as the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets and then explode. The bomb is currently delivered only by the B-2 stealth bomber, which is only found in the American arsenal. If deployed in the attack, it would be the first combat use of the weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is producing highly enriched uranium at Fordo, raising the possibility that nuclear material could be released into the area if the GBU-57 A/B were used to hit the facility. Republican leaders praise Trump Following Trump's announcement on Saturday, US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who was briefed by the White House ahead of the strike, said in a statement, "President Trump has been consistent and clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be tolerated ... That posture has now been enforced with strength, precision, and clarity." US Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Iranian regime's "misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped." Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Iran hawk and Republican from South Carolina, wrote online: "This was the right call. The regime deserves it." Meanwhile, elected Democrats and some far-right Republicans questioned the move, particularly without authorization from the US Congress. "Horrible judgment," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. "I will push for all Senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war." Said conservative Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, "While President Trump's decision may prove just, it's hard to conceive a rationale that's Constitutional."
