I WAS not sure whether to laugh or cry when the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, following the downfall of the Syrian regime, claimed, “President Bashar al-Assad neither asked for help, nor listened to our advice”, as if the advice had been helpful and had brought prosperity to Syria for 45 years!
Wasn’t Tehran steadily tightening its hold on Damascus’ decision-making system and attempting to fundamentally reshape Syria’s ideological, religious, and even economic structure throughout those decades, especially since 2011?
Wasn’t it the Revolutionary Guards that plunged knives into the necks of Syrians, along with many other sectarian militias set up by the oppressive Iranian regime to export its terrorist revolution, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the sectarian gangs from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen?
We need to reflect on the events that transpired during the four decades of “advice” the Iranian regime gave Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime, as well as its influence in Yemen, which was plagued by the Houthi group.
When the Iranian regime imposed Hezbollah on Lebanon, it spread corruption throughout the region, destroyed cities and villages in its wars, killed thousands of innocent people, and turned Beirut, which was once a thriving city, into a capital of backwardness.
In this context, I recall a Lebanese thinker stating that while having 18 sects in Lebanon is not inherently dangerous, having one sect dominate the country is. Iran did just that when it brought in Hezbollah and monopolized the decision-making of one sect, which led to severe sectarian division and major destruction.
Didn’t the Palestinians too follow the advice of Tehran’s leaders, only to bring upon themselves disaster? Thousands were killed, and the Gaza Strip was completely destroyed, all because the leaders of Hamas listened to that advice. They were promised prosperity, but instead, they faced hunger, poverty, oppression, and death.
The four capitals Tehran influenced through deception, terror, and manipulation have all been turned into ruins.
Damascus, the oldest capital in history, has become little more than a farm for the Iranians, as if Hulagu the butcher is free to do whatever he pleases there.
Baghdad, once the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate and a center of knowledge and scholarship, has turned into a warehouse for violence and sectarian strife, now fragmented into competing sects and tribes, each locked in brutal conflict.
Sana’a has become a stage for owls, crows, and the malevolent Houthis.
All of this is the result of the “advice” of the Persian regime, which raised the slogan “Oh Jerusalem, we are coming”. Yet, instead of focusing on fighting Israel, their terrorism has spread throughout the Arab world, claiming the lives of thousands of innocent Arabs and Sunni Muslims.
Today, the entire Islamic world rejoices at the rescue of Damascus, a city once home to icons like Nizar Qabbani, Fares Al-Khoury, and hundreds of other figures who contributed to a history of creativity, openness, and harmony. These figures, who shaped an era of cultural richness, have now been freed from the oppressive regime that has suffocated the city for 54 years.
This ousted regime has been stained with shame in recent years for allowing the backward Persian regime to seize control of the capital of jasmine, poetry, and creativity, and drag it into the depths of ignorance and submission.
What has happened in Damascus will not remain confined to its borders. The toxic sectarian octopus has already begun to cut off its own limbs, and its reach will inevitably extend to other capitals once ruled and manipulated by Iran. Meanwhile, Yemen is also preparing for its own rescue operation.
Today, there is a historic opportunity for the great Iranians to reflect on their own actions. Instead of the regime’s leaders offering advice to others, they should heed the words of the Almighty Allah in the Quran: “And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.”
Is there a believer among them who truly understands the words of the Most High?
