"Israel" attacks southern Syria; now the die is cast for Jolani and HTS
In preparation for a ground invasion (as they did in Lebanon), "Israel" has been shelling southern Syria nonstop for the past 48 hours.
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The only way a settler-colonial project can ensure its existence is by doing what it was founded to do: colonizing and settling.
In some cases, this succeeds better than in others. The United States, the Chief Imperialist in the world today, achieved coast-to-coast hegemony and, coupled with other colonies on the continent, it can now be said that the entirety of the Americas is presently colonized.
In other places, such as in South Africa, colonization was not so easily achieved. In the last days of Apartheid, the white South African state tried to invade Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, eSwatini (previously Swaziland). They armed counter-revolutionary military groups in Mozambique and Angola.
Such is the nature of settler states that they have no choice but to expand to simply exist. Their very existence is threatened from inception by the indigenous nations, as an affront to all things human the settler must continue to dehumanize themselves to prop up their made-up “native-but-not-native” identity.
“Israel”, who has existed only for 77 years, is still in the process of colonizing Palestine — and they are being heavily challenged still on that front. To confirm that existence and succeed in their genocidal endeavors, a policy of settling beyond the established borders is required to provide Lebensraum, slave labor, and a “buffer” security zone — currently provided by the historical kibbutzim settlements, and newer illegal settlements in the West Bank (and, prior to 2005, in the Gaza Strip as well).
It should then come as no surprise that the IOF is now preparing the groundwork to invade Syria, which recently saw a coup oust President Bashar al-Assad in favor of executioner-in-chief Mohammed al-Jolani from al-Qaeda-affiliated group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS for short.
Previously, counting since the Resistance operation on October 7, 2023, “Israel” also invaded southern Lebanon, where it was met with heavy resistance from Hezbollah and barely advanced into the country. A ceasefire deal was tentatively reached in late November 2024 through the Lebanese government who seeks to normalize relations with the entity, but we are now months later and IOF troops refuse to leave their occupied positions, instead entrenching themselves and occupying the country.
All of this echoes back to the 1967 war, in which “Israel” created a buffer zone with Lebanon and occupied the Golan Heights, which are historical Syrian territory — and the occupation unrecognized. After HTS seized power in Syria, “Israel” snuck settlers into the Golan Heights and declared the plateau to be annexed, defying international and common sense law once more.
But remember this law of the universe: everything exists in contradictions. When one thing moves, other things must move as well, because everything exists in contradiction. “Israel” does not invade as it pleases, receiving no pushback; to occupy a nation means to inevitably create resistance within it. To invade a country inevitably means forcing a response from that country.
Where things will become very interesting in the coming days and weeks is whether HTS will issue such a response to the bombing of southern Syria — reaching not far from the capital of Damascus — and what that response will be. It is no secret that HTS was funded by the United States and “Israel”, with Jolani himself being issued out of US-aligned and UK-created Saudi Arabia (with Jolani coming from a “Syrian family”, as if that meant anything about his legitimacy to coup Syria). A preliminary example response from HTS was made soon after Assad was coup’ed in December 2024, as Jolani said that “we [the illegitimate coup government] are not about to engage in a conflict with Israel.” After which HTS swiftly made good on this promise by destroying the military equipment seized from the Syrian Arab Army and persecuting Syrian religious and ethnic minorities while ignoring “Israel”.
This has parallels to the Japanese invasion of China; the waning empire of Japan, losing power and facing a dwindling economy, launched an all-out war against the rest of Asia to keep profits flowing in. In China, the nascent Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek preferred to fight against the Communist Party of China rather than against the Japanese invaders who tore through the country. As history tells us, this strategy didn’t win. After the war, people heavily sided with the communists, as they mobilized the people against the invaders rather than against the Republic — in fact, it was the Republic that betrayed the United Front treaty with the communists in the first place. In many ways, Chiang Kai-shek behaved like a warlord of old and had no regards for the common people who were being massacred everywhere the Japanese advanced. At the time however, while the republican KMT party benefited from US lend-lease programs, the Communist Party similarly benefited from Soviet funding, armament, and training. It is unsure at this time whether such a power is able or willing to back resistance cells in West Asia; Iran is certainly one big backer, but they are not the USSR in terms of funding and power.
However, things are now getting very real for the HTS coup government, who may yet join the likes of Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin-Laden, or, more recently, Ukrainian actor-playing-president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Essentially, the bombing campaign is setting the stage for a ground invasion, like happened in Gaza and Lebanon from 2023 on. Extensive air bombing campaigns, which Syria, Lebanon and Palestine are ill-equipped to defend against, “weaken” the territory after which an IOF ground invasion can begin.
HTS thought they could make friends with their backer “Israel” and coexist in peace, but they are now paying their dues. HTS is essentially faced with two options:
Fight back against the IOF, in which case they will go full circle and become Assad (but fundamentalist), or
not do anything and inevitably create resistance to their shaky government inside of Syria.
Either prospect comes with its own problems for HTS, but each shows that the fight is far from over; in fact, it has barely even begun and it would be a mistake to think, like “Israel” does, that this chapter will be over before it’s even had a middle. “Israel” may think that it can occupy Syria, and it may succeed in the short term, but it will inevitably exert itself in doing so and create conditions ripe for exploitation. If HTS continues to do nothing [militarily] against “Israel”, as they vowed in December of last year, then they will create a Hezbollah-like group within Syria, shaking their already tenuous grasp on power. HTS is already unpopular with Syria’s minorities, who are being persecuted, arrested, and killed by the rehabilitated al-Qaeda group. pro-Assad factions, who worked under his government, are still waging resistance operations against HTS from inside of Syria.
HTS does have a support base in Syria, no matter how mistaken they may be, but that base wants them to fight against the IOF. They got so taken in by the propaganda that they don’t realize HTS is “Israel”. They are functionally the same, both tools of the empire. What will happen if that base stops believing in HTS? How long would that be sustainable for Jolani?
(Video uploaded by a pro-HTS twitter user, purporting to show pro-HTS protesters at Damascus University chanting for the “bombing of Tel Aviv”, “move the army [HTS] south”, and “Allahu Akbar; fight every infidel.”)
In closing words, be wary of media propaganda against resistance groups. Be wary when the enemy tells you how many of you there are, and that you are losing or the fight is not worth it.
The interesting part about this whole situation is that HTS broadly speaking is clearly submissive to US interests, and has accommodated them at every turn, but there is only so much any government can do when a foreign power declares unilaterally that they deny you control of half of your state territory, and will probably (attempt to) steal all of it down the line.
I'm certain Jolani's government would love nothing more than to find an accommodation with Israel while keeping up a thin facade of resistance against the settler project. Israel won't let them though, because the fascists in power need war to keep the machine running.
Zionism isn't on some victorious expansion. This is a dying regime striking out, and it might take another decade, but it won't last in the end.
that hezbollah like resistance group is already starting up in syria. the problem is most people people there are so beat down from decades of war, and so consumed by sectarian divisions that they don’t see the obvious manipulation being used to destroy their country. they need to get their priorities right.