Panorama of Week: Israeli message to Iran in Syria, unclear US-Turkish relations

Last week, Arab newspapers addressed the Israeli raids on southern Damascus, in addition to the future of US-Turkish relations, and Russian moves.

'The Israeli bombing is a message to public opinion concerning Trump's loss

The beginning of the Syrian issue, and in this context, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper said: "The toll of the Israeli bombing in Syria rose at dawn on Wednesday to ten deaths, including three Syrian officers affiliated with the Air Defense Corps, and the rest were foreign nationals, according to what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported."

And while it was reported in Tel Aviv that the raids deliberately did not hit Iranian officials, observers saw that the bombing indicates that Israel will continue its striking across the border policy despite the US President Donald Trump defeat in the elections.

 According to the Observatory, among the dead, “ five likely to be of Iranian nationalities belonging to the Quds Force,” in addition to two fighters unknown nationalities. They are most likely from Shiite fighters of Lebanon or Iraq. A commander from a coalition of regional forces supporting Damascus denied being among them. The dead are Iranian or Lebanese. "

A Reuters analysis pointed out that Wednesday's attack hit a much wider range of targets than usual, and the Israeli army appeared more eager to announce the details than it was in previous times, indicating a clear intention to send a message to the public opinion about the Iranian intervention in Syria.

And in Tel Aviv, a senior Israeli military source confirmed, on Wednesday, that the raids carried out by its warplanes in eight locations in Syria deliberately did not hit any of the senior Iranian leaders in their own neighborhood near Damascus, and that they were content with throwing some light missiles near their homes to warn them of the consequences of continuing to implement their project to position in the country in general and in southern Syria, close to the line of separation of forces with Israel in particular.

"Pompeo paints a bleak future for US-Turkish relations."

Regarding the US-Turkish relationship, Al-Arab newspaper said: “US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's disregard for Turkish officials during his visit to Istanbul on Tuesday bears signs of a change in the mood of the current US administration, at a time when Ankara is wary of President-elect Joe Biden’s policies towards it, which observers expect will cut with the flexibility of the previous administration and be more firm in settling the outstanding issues. "

Pompeo made the visit to Istanbul, which centered on religious freedoms, without any meetings with Turkish officials, despite his confirmation that he wanted to "persuade" them to stop their "hostile" movements.

The visit, whose program sparked criticism from Ankara, began with a meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church, at the headquarters of the Patriarchate before he toured the nearby Rustem Pasha Mosque.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed its dissatisfaction with Pompeo's visit program, stressing that religious freedom is “protected” in Turkey, and Ankara said, “It would be more appropriate for the United States to look in the mirror and think about racism, anti-Islam and hate crimes on its territory.”

A Turkish official told Bloomberg, speaking on condition of anonymity, “Pompeo refused the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to Ankara during his visit to Turkey, and asked Cavusoglu to come to Istanbul for a meeting,” adding that Cavusoglu refused the request, expressing his dissatisfaction with Pompeo's neglect visit Ankara before leaving office.

In the absence of bilateral meetings, Pompeo will not be able to discuss with the Turkish authorities the many differences he mentioned, Monday, at the conclusion of a meeting he held in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

"President Macron and I spent a lot of time discussing Turkey's recent actions, and we agreed that they were very hostile," he told the French newspaper Le Figaro.

He especially referred to Turkey's support for Azerbaijan and “the fact that it has planted Syrian forces in the region as well,” referring to Syrian mercenaries, Yerevan confirmed that Ankara sent them to support the Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno Karabakh.

These issues add to the disagreements over Ankara's purchase of the Russian S400 missile system - which, according to US law, is supposed to lead to US sanctions, but Turkey received a delay from Donald Trump, who was apparently keen to maintain his good relationship with Erdogan.

Biden's statements, in which he described Erdogan as an autocrat and his pledge to support the Turkish opposition to overthrow him in the upcoming elections, indicate firm foreign policy features towards Ankara.

“I think it is fair to say that you will witness a stronger turn (from the Biden administration) against the Turkish government when it conflicts with US interests,” stresses Torey Tosig, director of research at the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School.

'Russia clones Tartus in the Red Sea'

Regarding Russian moves in Sudan, Al-Bayan newspaper said: "Soon, a new Russian naval base, or rather a logistical center for the Russian Navy on the coast of Sudan in the Red Sea, will appear in Sudan, based on a draft agreement signed by the two countries recently, and Russian President Vladimir Putin directed yesterday to move forward with it, but what surrounds this step, it is understood that Russia is setting its eyes on the African continent, and this rule is only one of the details of the Russian vision of Moscow’s international role from the Sudan’s gateway this time, especially since the base can receive nuclear ships.

The Russian newspaper "Moskovsky Komsomolets" quoted a military expert specializing in Middle East affairs, Yuri Liamine, as saying that this is not a base for the Russian navy, but a logistical support point, and that this is much less in terms of level, in terms of numbers, infrastructure and equipment, likening this base with those in the Syrian port of Tartus.

'Efforts to establish a government of Lebanon are deadlocked'

Regarding the Lebanese issue, Al-Akhbar newspaper said: “The authorization consultations have reached a dead end, and instead of searching for consensus, the Prime Minister designating the formation of the government, Saad Hariri, raises the level of his conditions, in a reflection of the United States’ toughness that rejects Hezbollah’s participation in the government. Moscow is seeking to convince Hariri «in consultation with everyone», including Gibran Bassil. "

She added, "Negotiations to form the government are stalled, after Prime Minister Saad Hariri's coup against all his previous commitments to the various authorship partners. Hariri’s coup, according to those familiar with and familiar with the consultations, is not subjective, but rather is a result of the American militancy that reached its climax with the decision of sanctions against the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP." Jebran Bassil, attentive to what Hariri reported from the US ambassador to Beirut, Dorothy Shea, regarding her country's rejection of any participation by Hezbollah in the government, whether through partisanship or mediated by "specialists" called by the party.

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ANHA