Assad Makes Surprise Trip to Moscow to Meet with Putin

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a secret visit to Moscow last night for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The trip, Assad’s first since the beginning of the rebellion against his rule began in 2011, was only announced this morning, after Assad and Putin met last night. Russian and Syrian news accounts of the meeting said they “discussed the military situation in Syria and both agreed that a political solution is urgently needed to end the Syrian conflict” and a Kremlin spokesman told reporters “the talks focused on fighting terrorist extremist groups, carrying on with the Russian operation, and support for the Syrian army’s offensive.”

The meeting comes just after U.S. and Russian military officials concluded an agreement to prevent warplanes from coming into conflict above Syria. The deal will remain secret in accordance with request by Moscow but “contains a number of rules and restrictions aimed at preventing incidents between American and Russian planes,” a Russian defense official said. The memorandum does not facilitate any intelligence sharing on targets. On Tuesday,  a video circulated on the internet shot from a Russian cockpit and showing a Russian jet approaching a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone above Syria.

Netanyahu and Arab Leaders Generate New Controversies Amid Israeli-Palestinian Violence

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is on an urgent visit to Israel and the West Bank, will brief the Security Council on the situation via video teleconference from Ramallah today. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu generated a new controversy amid the recent violence when he claimed in a speech last night that Hitler was inspired to commit the Holocaust by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini. The comments have been refuted by politicians and historians, including the chief historian at Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, who said Netanyahu’s characterization of the history was “not correct.” Some Arab states have further stoked tensions and controversy by proposing that UNESCO designate the Western Wall part of the al-Aqsa mosque.

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Headlines

• The Israeli military arrested Hamas co-founder Hassan Yousef in Ramallah early this morning, accusing him of inciting violence against Israelis.

• The United States approved an $11 billion deal with Saudi Arabia to sell the Saudi military four littoral combat ships for use in the Persian Gulf.

• Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is under growing pressure from Shia militias and the governing coalition in parliament to solicit Russian airstrikes against the Islamic State; yesterday, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford said Iraq would not seek Russian airstrikes.

• The mandate for Libya’s Tobruk-based government lapsed on Tuesday, meaning now neither of Libya’s feuding governments has formal international recognition despite ongoing U.N. efforts to broker a power-sharing agreement.

• Canada’s new Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau said he will follow through on his campaign promise to withdraw from the air campaign against the Islamic State; President Obama “understands the commitments I’ve made around ending the combat mission,” Trudeau said yesterday.

Arguments and Analysis

“Russia’s involvement in Syria: A Strategic Opportunity for Israel” (Amos Yadlin and Carmit Valensi, Institute for National Security Studies)

“The new energy Russia is injecting into the crisis creates two opportunities for Israel. One lies in strengthening an alliance with the Sunni nations in the region, first and foremost Saudi Arabia and Turkey, under the leadership of the United States. The anger and frustration experienced by these states given Russia’s unilateral move could therefore tag Israel as a strategic asset that can serve as a partner in a system to dramatically weaken the threat of the radical axis from the north. Two, in case of failure in moving the ‘Western’ coalition into concurrent action against Assad and ISIS, Israel should strive to realize the fourth option — an Assad-free Syria — as an arrangement reached in partnership with Russia. In any case, Israel must gear up for active efforts to topple Assad, based on the understanding that beyond the moral imperative, Assad’s ouster will lead to a strategic loss for Iran and Hizbollah in the bleeding Syrian state.”

“A Political Solution in Syria Needs to Break the Unholy Alliance” (Rashad Al-Kattan, SyriaSource)

“The corruption that the al-Assad regime nurtured for its survival has become so entrenched that even its allies are fed up. Thanks to the institutionalized corruption, supplies from regime-held areas, including weapons and ammunition, found their way across to opposition groups through military checkpoints. This hit a new low when Iran was outraged by the rampant corruption and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah become directly involved in overseeing financial and military support. Despite the mounting strains on the regime, senior commanders have been siphoning off funds and materiel by using ‘ghost fighters’, selling captured land, extorting people crossing checkpoints and even providing protective services to traders. At the same time, regime businessmen basked in the war economy by sponsoring militia groups as a way of protecting their investments and gaining influence in a post-conflict Syria — similar to the Lebanese model. These new warlords are the main beneficiaries of the war economy. They have no interest in seeing a political solution succeed because it will only come by severing the entrenched links among the political, security and business ranks. Keeping al-Assad in power is not a solution for Syrians who have endured decades of living under a politically and morally bankrupt system.”

-J. Dana Stuster

ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images