'They would destroy his regime': Syria steers clear of Israel-Hamas war, despite Iran ties
Palestinians check the rubble of buildings that were destroyed following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. President Bashar al-Assad is seeking a balance between Russia and Iran. Syria has avoided getting embroiled in the Gaza war, experts said, despite a strike on Iran's Damascus consulate, blamed on Israel, that threatened to ignite a regional conflagration.
"The Israelis clearly warned Assad that if Syria was used against them they would destroy his regime," said a Western diplomat who requested anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media.Recent months have seen a series of strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, widely blamed on Israel, culminating in a 1 April raid that levelled Tehran's consulate in Damascus and killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.
In 2018, the United Arab Emirates re-established ties with Syria, and it has been leading the charge to reintegrate Damascus. "Assad hopes the Arabs and the West will compensate him for his restraint, and the Russians are pushing him toward this path," he said.
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