Barran Press - Monitoring Unit
On Sunday morning, December 8, 2024, the Syrian armed opposition announced their control over the Syrian capital, Damascus, and the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, marking the "beginning of a new era" for Syria.
This announcement followed a wide-scale military operation launched by Syrian opposition forces on November 27, which succeeded in ending the Assad family's rule that spanned over five decades within just 13 days.
The rapid and dramatic fall of Assad's regime, a key player in Iran's "Axis of Resistance," shocked other armed groups within the axis, amid accusations that Iran abandoned its ally Assad just days after abandoning Hezbollah.
"Baraan Press" monitors the reactions of some leaders of the Iran-backed Houthi group, globally classified as a terrorist organization, and how they dealt with Assad's fall in Syria and the escape of the supporting Revolutionary Guards.
Disarray and Confusion
The Houthis' reactions to the event that shook the region revealed their true fragility. For many of the group's leaders, it was a shock, and their responses were disorganized and erratic.
This contrasts with their usual careful choice of words and terms used in psychological operations within the so-called "Axis of Resistance," which has been collapsing, starting with Hezbollah in Lebanon and now Assad's regime in Syria.
Overall, the comments indicate that the Iran-backed Houthi group has lost its direction and does not know where to direct its anger and frustration.
Counter Campaign
While the Houthis mobilized their "media entourage" to discuss Assad's fall, they aimed to divert their followers' attention to a counter-campaign, promoted across all the group's media outlets, on a topic that might distract them from what is happening in Damascus and other Syrian cities.
Many Houthi accounts focused on "American and Israeli crimes in Gaza," but many activists saw this as an attempt to avoid acknowledging the crimes committed by Assad's forces against Syrians. They emphasized that the Zionist entity's actions are not much different from those of Iran's militias in the region, including the Houthis, who continue to prey on Yemenis.
Claims of Peace
In his interactions, Houthi leader Hussein Al-Ezzi, the former deputy foreign minister in the group's unrecognized government, said, "Sanaa (referring to his group) works for peace as if it is tomorrow and prepares for war as if it is forever, and the world will choose."
Al-Ezzi added on his "X" account, "Nothing matches our readiness for peace except our readiness for war."
The dismissed Houthi leader tried to appear composed while distributing accusations and using psychological warfare terms, referring to his group's opponents as "mercenaries," a term the group has used since its Iranian-backed coup against the Yemeni state in late 2014.
He accused Yemenis opposing his group's coup of being agents for Israel, saying, "Those who act on Israel's orders and serve it practically give us and our people all the justifications—not only to discipline them—but to remove them from the scene entirely with God's help (religiously, nationally, Arab-wise, humanely, interest-wise, historically, etc.). We are committed to achieving that, God willing."
Earlier, he tweeted, "It is too early to express any opinion on Syria's future, and I don't think it will recover in the foreseeable future. There is a vast network of complexities with SDF, the opposition, and many (vengeful and spiteful) factions, each with its own project."
"We are facing a minefield, in every sense of the word, and at any moment, citizens' security could be at risk. We ask God to protect the brotherly people," he added.
Gaza as a Distraction
In his reaction, Houthi leader Ahmed Mutahar Al-Shami tweeted, "Strange things in Syria, the Syrian army hands over sites without resistance, and the opposition takes over sites without resistance. We don't want to jump to conclusions, but it seems the new rulers do not consider confronting Israel a priority."
He cited a fabricated report from the Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth," claiming that "the Israeli army took control of Mount Hermon in Syria in the last few hours without resistance."
Commenting on the report, he said, "Enemy media confirms a wide entry of enemy army forces accompanied by tanks into the Quneitra area in southern Syria. We say it clearly: let the new rulers of Syria declare war on Israel and defend Gaza, the Golan, and Quneitra, and we will support them."
Al-Shami's demand for the Syrian opposition to fight Israel comes at a time when they are still searching for their comrades hidden in Assad's prisons and working to secure liberated areas and protect state institutions.
Claims of Justice
Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al-Ajri did not hide his sorrow over the fall of the Syrian regime, tweeting early Sunday lines from a poem by Ahmed Shawqi about Damascus.
In another post, he urged the Houthis to continue supporting Gaza, "Do not be provoked by those who deny and those who have turned against you. Your stance was for God and in the cause of the most just humanitarian issues ever."
Nassr Al-Din Amer, appointed by the group as head of the Saba News Agency under their control, said, "We will remain as we were with Gaza and Palestine and with those who stand with them. Our proximity to any party is measured by their proximity to them."
These comments were met with ridicule from Yemeni activists who reminded the group of its crimes against Yemenis, which they said are not much different from the Israeli occupation's crimes against Palestinians, including besieging cities, starving residents, displacing them, and killing them through shelling and sniping based on racial grounds.
Betrayal of Bashar
Houthi leader Hamid Rizq said, "It is clear from the field developments that what happened in Syria is a regional and international agreement to hand over power without fighting and withdrawal without battles." He added, "Bashar al-Assad had no choice but to accept the reality and easily and smoothly hand over power."
Houthi leader Abdul Salam Jahaf explicitly accused Iran, suggesting that Bashar himself had a role in recent events in Lebanon. He asked, "Did the party (Hezbollah), Iran, and Russia abandon Bashar? And why? Are the speculations that Bashar had a role in the recent events in Lebanon true? What is happening?"
In another tweet, he said, "It is natural for this disgraceful fall to happen without firing a shot. He fell because he did not care for his people, did not care for the hungry, the poor, and the unemployed, and did not care for the harsh conditions of the Syrian people. Instead, he subjected them to bitterness, repression, killing, and injustice. Everything that happened is very natural, whether the opposing forces are terrorist or criminal."
Addressing Bashar, he continued, "Being against America or Israel does not absolve you of your responsibility towards your people. The Syrian people have suffered oppression, hunger, and displacement in the capitals of the world and have endured unimaginable injustice. After watching some clips about what happens in prisons and the repression and crimes, I am convinced that God does not accept injustice."
In his view, "What happened was a natural result of oppressing and humiliating people. There is no need to lament him and present him as great. The truly great leader is the one who cares for his people and prioritizes their interests over the interests of conflicting countries, making his homeland a hostage to those conflicts and interests. The oppressed people will move with the devil to gain their freedom, and dignity, and fill their stomachs, as hunger is a disbeliever, as they say."
Amid the reactions on social media platforms, many activists and political analysts pointed to Iranian factions in Iraq and Yemen as the next targets for their countries' people, who have suffered from their actions and Iran's "opportunistic" interventions.