Trump says US should not get involved in Syrian civil war as rebels look set to take Damascus from Assad
7 December 2024, 20:08
Incoming president Donald Trump has vowed that the US will not get involved with the Syrian civil war as rebel groups look set to take the capital city Damascus.
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The President-elect said on X: "Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!"
While Trump was in Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, he made the statement online before a trilateral meeting with Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Read More: Syrian insurgents 'reach suburbs of Damascus' as statue of Assad's father toppled rebels
Mr Trump added: "Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years.
"This is where former President Obama refused to honor his commitment of protecting the RED LINE IN THE SAND, and all hell broke out, with Russia stepping in.
"But now they are, like possibly Assad himself, being forced out, and it may actually be the best thing that can happen to them. There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid".
Syrian opposition activists and a rebel commander say insurgents reached the suburbs of the capital on Saturday.
Protesters were seen to bring down a statue of the late father of Syria's president in the main square of a suburb, a few miles from the centre of the capital.
The rebels form part of a rapidly moving offensive that has seen them take over some of Syria's largest cities, opposition activists and a rebel commander said.
The group has called for the downfall of Mr Assad and headed to government buildings in the heavily policed area of the city.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents are now active in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya.
