The former Vice President of Syria, Abdel Halim Khaddam, considered that “the battle in the region is led by Iran in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon,” noting that “the recent Astana meeting will not lead to any result as long as Iran is a party to it.” He affirmed that “unless there is a resolution in implementing the ceasefire, there will be no progress in the Syrian file,” pointing to the “conflict of Iranian-Russian interests in Syria.”
In an interview with the UAE newspaper “Al-Bayan,” Khaddam emphasized that “after the assassination of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Lebanon in 2005, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad embraced Iran after being accused of this operation. Iran found a historic opportunity to control both Lebanon and Syria together, and since then, Iran has controlled Syria.”
He revealed that “Assad marked the beginning of corruption in Syria, and one of the biggest mistakes of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad was not standing against the corruption of the Makhlouf family.” He denied that Hafez al-Assad had communicated with Israel at any stage, explaining that he “received support and respect from Arab countries due to his positions against Israel.”
