Syria moves from 'pal' to Iranian vassal state

Syria moving formally into Iran's strategic orbit

Regardless of an Israeli withdrawal and a major U.S. aid package, Syria plans to maintain and develop its strategic alliance with Iran.

The regime of President Bashar Assad had sent messages via intermediaries to the United States that Damascus regards its ties with Teheran as vital and not threatening to regional interests.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem (4th right) and his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki (3rd left) hold a round of negotiations in Tehran on April 23. Reuters/Raheb Homavandi

The Assad message also stressed that Syria would not revise its support for the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah.

Assad said Hizbullah, which sparked a war with Israel in 2006, was a legitimate group that sought to battle Israel's expansionism.

"It would be naive to think Syria will neglect or abandon its strategic alliances that do not stem from the Arab-Israeli conflict," Assad confidante Samir Taqi said.

Taqi, director of the Syrian-sponsored Center of Oriental Studies, relayed the Syrian message in an April 25 interview with Hizbullah's Al Manar television. Western intelligence sources said Taqi, a former adviser to the late Hafez Assad, was close to Bashar and speaks for the Syrian ruler.

Indeed, the intelligence sources said, Iran and Syria plan to enhance strategic cooperation over the next year. They said Damascus and Teheran have discussed joint procurement of advanced Russian weapons and air defense systems, particularly the S-300PMU2. The S-300PMU2 has been touted as an air defense network that could stop any Israeli or U.S. air strike on either Iran or Syria.

Iran and Syria have also been working together to acquire nuclear weapons technology and equipment from North Korea. The sources said Iran has helped finance North Korean nuclear contracts in Syria, including the establishment of the Al Kabir plutonium production plant in northeastern Syria. The plant was destroyed by the Israel Air Force in September 2007.

One scenario envisioned by the sources is that Iran would deploy one or several nuclear weapons in Syria. This would ensure the accuracy of any Iranian nuclear strike against Israel, which contains a large Muslim minority.