By James The Russian Analyst 

![SAAHelicopter.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeMWxhesRbjcPvnUDnF9FXNEsVQaBaSTikVtqrv2LDRV3/SAAHelicopter.jpg)

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Russian and Iranian Support Creates a New, More Hezbollah-Like SAA

As London Paul stated in this week's interview with Dave of the X22 Report, there is quiet cooperation underway between the Americans and Russians in Syria. Moscow has -- for now -- conceded a de facto American protectorate over the SDF Kurds in northeastern Syria, even as the NATO member Turks continue to shift away from Washington due to such support. In the west and northwestern Syria, the Turkish Army is concentrating its efforts in Idlib province, where jihadists losing support from outside powers are turning on each other. The infighting in Idlib recently claimed the lives of several White Helmets activists, most likely murdered by the Al-Qaeda franchisees of HTS with whom they used to pose on camera.

In the southeast of the country, the Americans quietly pulled out of their outpost near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders at al-Tanf in recent weeks. This decision was consistent with President Trump's cancellation of the Central Intelligence Agency's programs supporting 'moderate' Sunni Syrian rebels against the Assad government, that had in fact acted as conduits via 'black market sales' or surrenders on the battlefield for TOW missiles and other NATO arms to 'leak' into the hands of Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

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Washington's Plans for a Long Term Occupation, Er Presence in Northeastern Syria

While these moves demonstrate a willingness of the Pentagon to cooperate, or rather an acknowledgement by the U.S. military command and Commander and Chief alike that they're doomed to cooperation with the Russians in Syria, there is a big caveat. Since the acrimonious split between the erstwhile supporters of the Syria war Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the SDF Kurds have started cozying up to Riyadh and this week, announced that they expect American troops to stay in their areas for 'decades'. Clearly such a long term presence cannot be justified by 'fighting ISIS' after Daesh remaining pockets are crushed this year and is therefore competely contrary to international law -- regardless of what arrangements for regional autonomy the Kurds strike up with Damascus. Nor can there be any illusions about Raqqa, as an Arab and hardly Kurdish city, being ruled by Kurds for the long term.

Thus the use of Daesh as a 'skeleton key' to get American troops permanently stationed inside Syria has been exposed, but whether the U.S. presence will be sustainable in the long term given the hostility of Turkey and Iran to it is a question few American journalists are asking. Veteran Mideast correspondent Elijah J. Magnier, for his part, recognizes that the remaining key figures in the Trump Administration like Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster have their eyes firmly fixed on 'containing' the biggest Mideast victors from the Syria War: Iran and Hezbollah:

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Washington and Tel Aviv's Fear of Iran and Hezbollah Emerging Stronger Than Ever After Being Bloodied in the Syria War

“The United States has not been able to swallow the Islamic Republic of Iran’s victory, prevailing on the Syrian and Iraqi arenas where the war is shortly going to end- sooner rather than later. On these military stages, today, there is no longer any horizon for extremist groups, witness the defeat of “Islamic State” (ISIS) its territory shrinking to less than a quarter of what it was in 2014. Moreover, Al-Qaeda in Syria (Nusra or Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) is preparing itself for limited options in Idlib: either its fate is to dissolve itself, bow to absolute Turkish control- or fight to the death.

No one is talking about the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad or the regime change in Syria anymore; all players (in the region, as well as the EU and the US) have bowed to the almost total Russian domination of the Levant and the victory of the Iraqi government over ISIS. The “project” of splitting Mesopotamia ended in the bin of history: even the Kurds in Kurdistan are seriously thinking of postponing or freezing the “referendum on independence”, expected on September 25. If not, Erbil knows already it is alone in this wrongly-timed project.

Thus, with the victory of the governments of Baghdad and Damascus, Russia and Iran’s allies; with the defeat of the Daeshi-Takfiri project; with the growing capabilities and expertise of Hezbollah in Syria and on more than one front in the Middle East (Iraq and Yemen)- Iran comes out a clear winner: its financial investment in Syria was huge, mainly to support the military campaign and the Syrian Army and institutions. Tehran can therefore no longer be ignored in any negotiation talks – the entire map of the Middle East bears testimony.

However, despite the US occupation of a geographical location in the Syrian northeast (al-Hasaka and Raqqah provinces) and the absence of a strategic horizon for this military presence along with the Syrian Kurdish forces and a few local tribes, this result is a considerable downgrade for America and its allies in the Middle East who invested massively in order to topple the Syrian government.

It therefore became necessary to turn the tables and to discredit Iran by implementing more sanctions, by attacking the nuclear deal – including Washington’s allies on the old European continent – and by accusing Tehran of “breaking the spirit of the nuclear agreement” so as to “justify” the imposition of further economic sanctions under various headings and excuses- these are expected to increase in the coming months.”
— https://elijahjm.wordpress.com/2017/08/17/trump-avenges-irans-victory-in-syria-and-iraq-and-rohani-responds/

Read more --------> https://www.roguemoney.net/blog/2017/8/18/saa-victory-suknah