​​​​​​​Arab newspapers: Russian-Iranian conflict in southern Syria, Turkey requesting Qatar's support in Libya

On Monday morning, Arab newspapers touched upon the Russian-Iranian conflict in southern Syria, in addition to Turkish and Qatari moves on Libya, and scenarios of Egyptian-Turkish tension.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat: Protest against Iran and Hezbollah during a funeral for Russian loyalists in Daraa

The Arab newspapers published this morning dealt with several Syrian issues, most notably the situation in the south. In this context, Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper said: "Thousands of civilians and elements of the" Fifth Legion "formed and supervised by Russia went out in a mass demonstration within the city of Busra al-Sham in Daraa Governorate, yesterday, they demanded the fall of the Syrian regime and the exit of the Iranians and Hezbollah from Syria.

They chanted slogans against al-Assad family and the president of the Syrian regime, and the funeral of a number of Syrian soldiers from the countryside of Daraa, who were killed by the bombing of their bus last Saturday, turned into a mass demonstration of anger, the largest of its kind since the Syrian regime regained control of Daraa Governorate in 2018.

Videos posted by the "Ahrar Horan Group" showed Shi'a participants demanding the fall of the regime and the departure of Hezbollah and Iran.

The site of the gathering said that the eighth brigade inside the Fifth Corps has been since its formation "a barrier" in front of the Iranian expansion in Houran, pointing out that targeting the bus came "after Iran doubled the fourth division barrier headed by the president's brother, Maher al-Assad, in the western countryside of Daraa province."

In its competition with Iran, Russia is seeking control of southern Syria, and during the past few weeks it has opened the door to join the Fifth Corps in Daraa, and has registered the joining of about 400 volunteers, most of whom are defectors and those who are left out of military service from the sons of Quneitra and the Yarmouk Basin in the countryside of Daraa.

This came in conjunction with the "deployment of Al-Ghaith forces close to Iran in the western countryside of Daraa" preceded by the killings and assassinations of figures opposing the Iranian expansion in the region.

Al-Arab: Turkish pressure on Qatar to pump more money into the war effort in Libya

Regarding the Turkish intervention in Libya, Al-Arab newspaper said: "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan quickly telephoned the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, calling for doubling the Qatari funds for the war effort in Libya in which Ankara strongly engaged in support of the militia of Accord Government against the Libyan National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter.

This came after strong statements by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in which he hinted at the use of military force to brake the Turkish-backed Accord militia towards Libyan areas directly related to Egyptian national security.

According to those familiar with the scenes of Turkish politics, Erdogan, described by his opponents as opportunism, has been using the Libyan file, and before that the Syrian file, to blackmail Qatar and obtain the largest possible amount of its money by intimidating its leadership from defeating the militant Islamists camp backed by Doha. The result will be a victory for its opponents and an end to the regional role it has been trying to play for years.

The Turkish official media said that Erdogan discussed in his phone call with the Emir of Qatar "ways to develop strategic relations between the two countries", and that the discussion touched upon a number of regional and international issues of common concern during the phone call.

However, a former Turkish diplomat expected that "the subject of the phone call is pure money", saying that Erdogan's government "is not tired of its demand for Doha to send more money to sustain the momentum of Turkish military operations in Syria and Libya."

The diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous and said that he had previously referred to his work in the Gulf region, said that the Egyptian President's statements represent a model excuse within the pretexts that Turkey uses to urge Qatar to pump more money into the conflicts Turkey is waging in the region, stressing that “Qatari gas money It played a great role in financing those conflicts and wars that Turkey could not bear in the light of the successive economic and financial crises witnessed during the past years, up to the current crisis resulting from the Corona pandemic, which stopped the tourist movement, which is an important source of the Turkish treasury. ”

In recent days, the Turkish lira recorded a new fall of more than one percent against the US dollar, touching the lowest level in about a month.

The former Turkish diplomat confirmed that the discussion of "strategic relations" between Ankara and Doha is a loose title that has been making official headlines on communications and talks between Turkish and Qatari officials and leaders at various levels, noting that the Turkish leadership does not usually discuss with the Qatari leadership details of the files that it is working on, such as The Libyan file, and only addresses the big addresses to make the Qatari side believe in its importance and that it is an actual partner in these files, while Qatar's role is almost limited to funding and waiting for what Turkey and its army can do in this or that arena.

On this basis, Qataris hold that their country’s relationship with Turkey is unequal and makes it vulnerable to exploitation and extortion, especially in light of the isolation it is experiencing after boycotting four Arab countries because of its policies against the stability of the region and its links with terrorist organizations.

Okaz: Does Ankara accommodate the Cairo messages?

Okaz, in its turn, said: “Unless Erdogan’s regime reads the Egyptian messages that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s speech yesterday carried well, everyone must blame himself.” This was a comment by an Arab strategic expert, adding that Ankara has strived to provoke Cairo, especially from the vital Libyan neighborhood. For Egypt.

Al-Sisi's political and military messages seemed clear, specific and strong this time from her predecessors, especially after the Egyptian ceasefire initiative, which did not find listening ears from Turkey and the Accord government followed, but Ankara continued to send more mercenaries and militias, and from here and talk to an Egyptian observer, the war in Libya began to come close to the Egyptian borders, which led President al-Sisi to consider "Sirte and al-Jafra" as a red line for Egypt, and then a clear and decisive stance had to be announced to deter Turkish interference, which Cairo announced was now gaining international legitimacy.

In affirming the seriousness of Cairo's position, and less than 24 hours after the announcement of the Egyptian anger, Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri stressed that any threat to Egyptian and Arab security will receive an appropriate response, and said in yesterday's statements (Sunday) that Egypt seeks to promote a political solution in Libya, adding: We call for restraint in Libya, and accused «the Accord Government that it did not improve the reading of al-Sisi’s position», and continued: «We hope the Accord agreement with its mandate stipulated in al- Skhirat agreement».

Remarkably, in the statements of the head of Egyptian diplomacy, it is the first time that she talks about the military option, as Shukri announced that "the military solution is the last option for Egypt to defend its security", stressing the rejection of an attempt to expand Turkey, pointing to coordination with the international and regional powers active in Libya, The Egyptian minister was not satisfied with that. Rather, he stressed that Egypt coordinates "with Tunisia and Algeria, and we have a common vision regarding Libya." He stressed that "the time has come for serious work to establish stability in Libya."

Political observers have promised that the situation in Libya is open to all scenarios, and that the crisis is approaching the edge of the abyss, warning that if Accord Government does not submit to peaceful solutions and the proposed initiatives for a solution, and if Ankara does not read the Cairo messages more than once before taking any step, then it There is no alternative to military intervention to get things right.

T/S

ANHA