Bashar al-Assad was a monster, ruling with an iron fist and a twisted mind. So the reflex response is to cheer the anti-regime forces whose quicksilver uprising brought his hellish regime to an abrupt end.
But it`s worth saying again — and on repeat — that bringing down Assad doesn’t confer boy scout status to the victors. For while the result of the uprising is to be welcomed a prevailing concern remains how Syria’s caretakers will fill the vacuum.
Over to David Lammy, our hapless Foreign Secretary, who has declared that he wants to see “chemical weapons stockpiles secured, and not used, and we want to ensure that there is no continuing violence.” The question is how — but as we know, detail is not the Labour Government`s strong point.
That`s why we should applaud Israel, which is clearly taking no chances. Inflicting preemptive strikes on any remaining threats to its security by destroying leftover military hardware such as missiles, and chemical weapons factories. The Syrian fleet has been destroyed as have former Iranian bases in the country.
In taking such incisive, immediate and forensic action, Israel once again does the world`s dirty work, compelling the new regime, in whatever form it takes, to effectively start from the ground up. Yet as always Israel`s habitual detractors have rushed to condemn its actions. Aligning themselves with interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa who has warned Israel that its continued incursions into Syria risk unwarranted escalation in the region. Peace-lovers have also hitched themselves to al-Sharaa`s wagon when he declared his administration “did not want conflict with Israel”. As for Israel`s manoeuvres into the buffer zone on the Syrian border of the Golan, others proclaim that this is a land grab — motivated by Israeli opportunism and a devilish, expansionist view.
Such views are for the birds. Not only is Israel protecting its sovereign land and its citizens — motivation for attacks in Lebanon and Gaza. In the case of Syria it is doing us all a favour. Remember that the Syrian militia group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which toppled Assad is an offshoot of al-Qaeda. In fact precisely because it is an alias of al-Qaeda HTS was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK.
And how do our politicians respond? Cabinet minister Pat McFadden has said that the UK could remove HTS from the list.
Talk about risk, rather than peace in our time. What isn’t appreciated by Israel`s hand-wringing critics is that Britain is only safe to interact with Syria because it`s new rulers don`t have access to Assad’s military machines or chemical hand-me-downs. Interestingly, members of several Druze communities in southern Syria have said they`d rather live under Israeli rule than “radical Islamists” since the collapse of the Assad regime.
Of course the UK doesn`t share a border with Syria — and so unlike Israel are not facing any immediate threat should any military capabilities remain in the hands of HTS. But terrorism is an exportable commodity — as history has shown us with devastating clarity. As the new Syria finds its way, who is to say how the various factions which contributed to Assad`s downfall will function?
Israel`s military power unfairly gives horsepower to the view that it acts with impunity — when in fact the motivation is purely to protect its citizens. This is not about exploiting Syria’s weakness for geopolitical aims. That`s why those who inevitably rush to condemn Israel whichever way it turns — not least in this country — should pause and be grateful for this preemptive show of strength.
The leader of HTS has said “diplomatic solutions” are the only way to ensure stability rather than “ill-considered military adventures”. Certainly as a strategy this is to be applauded — not least for the beleaguered people of Syria who deserve a new dawn and better future after years of war, bloodshed and economic devastation.
And if Ahmed al-Sharaa was a boy scout there well might be cause to believe him. But he’s not. That`s why — including for the UK — it`s better to eliminate temptation in the form of abandoned military weapons. And in doing so remove all doubt.
