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Iran’s Real Enemy in Syria
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Iran’s Real Enemy in Syria

At a time of economic hardship, Tehran has provided billions of dollars to help Assad crush Islamist rebels. The question is why.

Karim Sadjadpour
The Atlantic, 2018
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Eye Opening
  • Background

Recommendation

Iran has played a pivotal role in helping Bashar al-Assad’s regime regain the upper hand in Syria’s civil war. At first glance, the alliance between a revolutionary Shia theocracy and a staunch champion of secular Arab nationalism seems baffling. Some analysts have emphasized the common strategic interests the two countries share. For Iranian-American foreign policy analyst Karim Sadjadpour, however, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s decision to back Syria’s brutal dictator stems from a much more elemental place: his deep-seated hatred of the state of Israel. getAbstract recommends this article to readers with an interest in Middle East politics.

Take-Aways

  • Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Iran has acted as the main financial and military supporter of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. 
  • At the core of Iran’s unwavering solidarity with Assad is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s deep-seated hatred of Israel. 
  • With its common border with Israel, Syria serves as a prime staging ground for Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters’ attacks on the Jewish state.

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

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