by MEMRI
The effort to resettle parts of Syria with Shi'ites instead of Sunnis
In his April 21, 2018 column in the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar,
titled "Hizbullah Resettling in Syria," Ahmad 'Ayyash referred to the
policy of transfer and forced demographic change that the Bashar
Al-Assad regime has been conducting in Syria over the past several
years, with the assistance of Hizbullah and its other allies. [1]
According to 'Ayyash, this is actually an Iranian "settlement project,"
which involves expelling residents from various parts of the country
and resettling these areas with Shi'ite members of Hizbullah and of
other Iran-backed militias, who prevent the original residents from
returning to their homes. He warned that the presence of these new
settlers in Syria may not be temporary.
The following are excerpts from his column:
Hizbullah fighters in Syria (image: Al-Nahar, Lebanon, April 21, 2018)
"Hizbullah's involvement in the Syria war
is not confined to military action aimed at propping up the Syrian
regime. [Its goals] extend much further than that, and have to do with
an Iranian settlement project whose implementation began several years
ago. The aim [of this project] is changing the demography [of Syria] by
settling [it with members of] Iran-backed [Shi'ite] militias from
Afghanistan, Lebanon and other countries in the region.
"Naturally, the world is currently
occupied with the implications of the chemical [weapons] issue, which
came up again after the Assad regime used such weapons... in Douma, near
Damascus. But while addressing the issue of the chemical weapons, [the
world] is ignoring the ongoing plan of demographic cleansing, as part of
which tens of thousands of Syrians were transferred from their homes in
Ghouta to northern Syria several days ago, and thousands of others left
eastern Al-Qalamun, near Damascus, [as part of a move] 'brokered by
Russia'...
"[These] tens of thousands of Syrians left
their ancestral homes, where their families had been living for
generations, just as hundreds of thousands of [other] Syrians had
previously left their homes in Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Al-Qusayr. The
world is oblivious [to the fact] that Iran has been acting vigorously to
fill the demographic vacuum [left by these Syrians], with Hizbullah
acting as the chief executive arm of this [project]. Whoever doubts the
existence of this Iranian plan can read statements made by Ali Akbar
Velayati, an advisor to Supreme Leader [Khamenei], as quoted by the
Iranian news agency Mehr. [He said]: 'The Islamic awakening on our
resistance front begins in Tehran and extends to Baghdad, Damascus,
Beirut and Palestine, and will soon include Yemen as well. Were it not
for Iran's support, Baghdad and Damascus would have been occupied by
ISIS today, and Beirut would have been occupied by Israel.'
"Several weeks ago, Al-Nahar
received information that people from Al-Qusayr had appealed to the
Syrian regime for permission to return to their properties in that town,
and had received permission to do so. But when they reached the town,
they found themselves facing Hizbullah militiamen, who are still
militarily occupying the town, and who ordered them back, saying:
'Whoever gave you permission [to return is welcome] to give you back
your property.' According to the information [we received], Hizbullah is
investing in developing thousands of acres in this area, known for its
fertile fields, and will directly reap the profits.
"One of the most disturbing aspects of the
Iranian plan in Syria was reported by our colleague, [Lebanese
journalist] Randa Taqi Al-Din, in the daily Al-Hayat. She cited
French sources, who assessed that Hizbullah will transform from the
'Lebanese Hizbullah' into the 'Syrian Hizbullah,' because its members
are currently settling in Syria along with the Iranians.[2]
"On May 6, thousands of these [Hizbullah]
'settlers' will be bussed to voting booths in Lebanon, and especially in
the Baalbek-Hermel governorate, [to vote in Lebanon's parliamentary
elections]. Then they will return to their 'properties,' to continue
carrying out their 'duty of jihad.'"
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No.1280, Together
With Its Allies, The Syrian Regime Is Forcing Demographic Change In
Areas Of The Country - For Self-Protection And Self-Preservation, November 15, 2016.
[2]
Randa Taqi Al-Din's report stated: "Some circles assess that Hizbullah
will split into Hizbullah Lebanon and Hizbullah Syria, because Hizbullah
members are settling in Syria along with the Iranians. The families of
Hizbullah fighters who were killed have been compensated with homes in
Homs and other areas." Al-Hayat (Dubai), April 20, 2018.
MEMRI
Source: https://www.memri.org/reports/lebanese-journalist-hizbullah-settling-syria-part-iranian-plan-change-its-demography
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