Statement by SanctionsKill Campaign: U.S. wages dirty war, imposes sanctions on Syria

This statement was jointly written by Rick Sterling of the Syria Support Movement and Rich Merino of the Bronx Anti-War Coalition before the extremists seized Damascus.

The dirty war on Syria has entered a new and dangerous phase. On Nov. 27, 15,000 extremists, trained and equipped by the U.S., Türkiye and Ukraine, launched an offensive from Idlib province, attacking Aleppo and other towns. The terrorist forces are equipped with modern weapons, communication gear, drones and tanks.

This is not a civil war but a calculated campaign by U.S., Israeli, NATO and Turkish-sponsored terrorism to topple the Syrian government and disrupt its role in the “Axis of Resistance.” Unlike Egypt and Jordan, Syria has steadfastly supported Palestinian resistance, providing crucial logistical and political backing. This unwavering support has made Syria a primary target of Israel and the West. 

As Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, martyred on Oct. 16, 2024, stated: “The credit for building the resistance goes … to the support of Syria (President Bashar al-Assad) and developing our relationship with Hezbollah.”

Before the war, Syria was a thriving Arab nation, self-sufficient in energy, with free health care, free education and no national debt. However, beginning in 2011, the West and its Gulf allies orchestrated a dirty war, funding and arming sectarian terrorists to fragment Syria. These groups, composed of extremists from abroad and indoctrinated locals, were falsely framed as part of an organic rebellion.

By December 2016, Syrian forces had defeated extremists in Aleppo. The militants relocated to Idlib under a ceasefire and continued to receive Western aid and Turkish protection. Meanwhile, U.S.-imposed sanctions have inflicted immense suffering on ordinary Syrians, preventing recovery and deepening the humanitarian crisis.

Despite these challenges, Syria remained an anti-imperialist cornerstone of the Axis of Resistance, which included Iran, Hezbollah of Lebanon, Ansarallah of Yemen, Iraqi Resistance and Palestinian Resistance Movements. This alliance has stood united against Zionist aggression and Western imperialism. Even as the Zionist entity and its allies sponsor terrorist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to destabilize Syria, the country continued to support Palestinian liberation. 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reaffirmed this commitment following the October 7, 2023, Palestinian resistance operation, declaring: “The only way to achieve [Palestinian] rights is resistance in all its forms.”

Unknown to most North Americans, the U.S. occupies about one-third of Syria through illegal military bases and training terrorists at Al Tanf, enabling secessionist Kurds to take on roles as Western proxies and allow the West to steal the majority of the country’s oil, gas and wheat. The complicit Kurdish groups are especially close to Zionist Israel. 

The dirty war on Syria is not just an attack on one nation but an assault on justice, sovereignty and resistance to oppression. To remain silent as Syria suffers under the machinations of the U.S., Israel, NATO and Türkiye is to engage in selective outrage. Justice is universal, or it is nothing at all.

All who care about peace, international law and the Palestinian cause must oppose the crimes against Syria. The truth is worth uncovering, and the fight for justice is worth continuing.

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