Cold war breaks out between Russia and Iran East of Syria
February 18, 2022, 4:22 am

Cold war breaks out between Russia and Iran East of Syria

A cold war broke out between Russia and Iran to win the loyalty of the seven villages east of the Euphrates, an area mainly controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces SDF (File photo: Deir Ezzor Media Centar)

The Asharq Al-Awsat reported, a cold war broke out between Russia and Iran to win the loyalty of the “seven villages” east of the Euphrates, an area mainly controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the “cold war” between Russia and Iran, the main allies of the regime, is still ongoing across Syria.

The Observatory explained that each ally is trying “to spare no effort to win the war and impose complete control over Syria."

It indicated that the competition between the two allies has recently intensified in the countryside of Deir Ezzor province, specifically in what is known as the “seven villages,” controlled by Iran and the regime, east of Euphrates, and other areas, west of Euphrates.

SOHR confirmed the intensity of the “cold war” escalated since mid-January, specifically on January 16, when the Iranian-backed militias opened a bridge linking the seven villages east of Euphrates to their areas under their control west of Euphrates.

Syrian Democratic Forces SDF (File photo: Facebook)

Residents in the areas used to travel between the two banks of Euphrates via “Russian passenger ferry” for free.

The bridge angered the Russians, who stepped up their presence in those areas and exerted efforts to attract the residents by distributing clothes bearing Russian and internationally recognized Syrian flags to students and winter clothes to the people.

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Iranian-backed militias, in turn, began distributing foodstuffs to the residents in the seven villages, namely, Hatlah, Murat, Mazloum, Khasham, Tal-Tabiyah, al-Salihiyah, and al-Husseinieh.

Iranian-backed militias also recruited persons from the area to help them to attract more people.

At the end of last month, the Observatory reported that Russian forces had entered seven villages east of Euphrates and distributed clothing and humanitarian aid to the people.

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The mayor of Hatlah accompanied the forces as part of an attempt by the Russians to prevent the ongoing Iranian expansion in Syrian territory.

Source: aawsat

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.