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Join Telegram ChannelSyria's future remains uncertain after Islamist rebels toppled the Assad regime, took control of Damascus and ousted the Syrian dictator from the country.
Foreign policy experts and officials reacted to the news on Sunday, speculating about what might happen to the Middle Eastern country and the U.S. forces residing there.
“Who knows what’s next?” asked former Deputy National Security Advisor KT McFarland.
McFarland joined “Fox & Friends Weekend” to discuss the unrest. Like others, she suggested the change painted an uncertain picture.
NETANYAHU WELCOMES “HISTORIC” FALL OF BASHAR ASSAD IN SYRIA AND CREDITS ISRAELI ATTACKS AGAINST HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN
Syrian opposition fighters remove a Syrian government flag from an official building in Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, Saturday, December 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
“[Bashar Assad] was weak and incompetent, and he was supported in the governance of Syria by Iran and by Russia, by Russian forces, by Russian military equipment, by, in a certain sense, Russian money. Iran, but they are concerned now… Iran is concerned because of what Israel did to Iran and Hezbollah and Russia is concerned because of Ukraine and a faltering economy, so these two guys who support Assad, that’s not the case, they also support it,” she said.
“But the [multiple] rebel groups came together, saw an opportunity, and moved into Syria…and President Trump is absolutely right to say, “let it play out.” This is not our fight. I'm just sorry that we have 900 American forces in this country, because who knows? Are they sitting targets? Are they potential hostages? What will their role be? We don't know.”
SYRIAN DICTATOR BASHAR ASSAD FLIES INTO EXILE AS ISLAMIST REBELS CONQUER THE COUNTRY
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., also weighed in Sunday, offering a message of caution and concern.
“We must realize there are no good guys in there. These rebels are linked to Al-Qaeda. We know that Iran will lose its supply lines to Hezbollah. We know Russia loses access to a port in hot weather, and we need to make sure we support Israel,” she said.
Dan Hoffman, a former CIA station chief, warned that the development poses a “very complex challenge” to U.S. national security that awaits the Trump administration when the president-elect takes office next month.
“The concern we would have going forward is the possibility of a power vacuum here. We saw it in Iraq and Libya and the terrorists are taking advantage of that, and the concern we have, I think, “Is that potential terrorists could be flocking to Syria now looking to take advantage of this,” he explained.
“We also face a real challenge because state actors like Russia and Iran, formerly allies of Syria. Remember, Russia has a naval base in Tartus. They will not be on our side to resolve This problem with us We also have real challenges, so achieving some sort of international consensus on the way forward is also a major challenge.
ISLAMIST REBELS IN SYRIA TAKEN THE REGIMES OF ASSAD, PUTIN AND IRAN AT THE END OF GUARD, GIVING US A NEW HEADACHE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
President-elect Donald Trump also spoke out shortly after the news broke, posting a message on Truth Social.
“Assad is gone,” he wrote. “He fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was no longer interested in protecting him. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They have lost interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where almost 600,000 Russian soldiers are dead or injured, in a war that should never have started and could last forever.
“Russia and Iran are currently weakened, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its military successes,” he continued. “Likewise, Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and put an end to this madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 troops and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin .”
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