Assad Complained About Ankara's Opposition Support.. Causing Iranian-Turkish Tension
Iran's Recent Attempts to Pressure Turkey to Stop Syrian Opposition Support Came Late and Failed to Save Strategic Ally
December 14, 2024, 7:56 pm

Assad Complained About Ankara's Opposition Support.. Causing Iranian-Turkish Tension

بشار الأسد وأردوغان \ تعبيرية \ متداول

Two Iranian officials told Reuters that former Syrian regime president Bashar al-Assad expressed to Iranian Foreign Minister his displeasure with strong Turkish support for opposition forces in final offensive ending his rule.

Assad family's five-decade rule ended Sunday when Syrian regime president departed to Moscow, granting him political asylum.

Tehran backed Assad in extended Syrian conflict, with his overthrow widely considered major loss for Iran-led "resistance axis," political-military coalition opposing Israeli and American regional influence.

December 2 Damascus meeting gathered Assad and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, while former Al-Qaeda-linked HTS elements controlled major cities advancing toward capital.

According to senior Iranian official, Assad condemned during meeting what he described as Turkish fevered efforts overthrowing him. Official said Araqchi renewed Iran's support commitment and promised raising issue with Ankara.

Next day, Araqchi met Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan conveying Tehran's deep concern about Ankara's opposition advance support.

Another Iranian official explained "meeting dominated by tension, Iran expressed displeasure with Turkey's alignment with American-Israeli agendas and conveyed Assad's concerns," noting Ankara's Syrian opposition support and Western-Israeli interests cooperation targeting Iran's regional allies.

Official said Fidan blamed Assad for crisis, confirming his avoiding serious peace negotiations and repressive rule years form conflict roots.

Turkish Foreign Ministry source familiar with minister's talks said these weren't Fidan's exact statements, adding Araqchi carried no Assad messages to Ankara, without additional details.

Fidan told media in Doha Sunday Assad regime had "precious time" addressing pending Syria issues but failed, instead allowing "slow disintegration and regime collapse."

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Wednesday blamed United States and Israel for Assad's overthrow, indicating Syrian neighboring country's involvement without explicit naming, implicitly referencing Turkey.

Levant-Agencies

Gargash: Syrian Factions' Links to Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda Concerning Indicator Naim Qassem: Hope New Authority in Damascus Won't Normalize with Israel

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”