Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine), 18.03.2025
In Israel they have crocodile tears over what they call the massacre of March 8 2025. It is clear why these tears. The reason is that Israel and likely Iran have failed in their effort to bring back a pro Assad regime and Israel’s plan to split Syria to small states controlled by Israel.
Tamir Hayman the former head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate has voiced his support for the “power struggle” in Syria, adding that the “chaos” benefits Israel.
“The chaos in Syria is beneficial. Let them fight each other. But Israel should remain silent on this matter and not make any public statements. It should act calmly,” Tamir Hayman said in an interview with the Israeli Army Radio” [i]
March 8 – in Syria is known as the day of the Baath military coup, and until recently it was marked as a national holiday. On this day in 2025 the pro-Assad rebels rebelled against the new regime that took power following the political revolution in Syria.
On March 8, 1963, pro-Baath military officers brought the party to power. Three of the leaders of the coup were Alawites. One of them was Hafez al-Assad, who later became the president of Syria. The rise of the Baath led to the change of the social and political pyramid in Syria. Instead of the Sunni urban elite, which has ruled the region for centuries, the Alawites, despised and humiliated until then, have established themselves at the top of the social ladder.
In the eyes of Sunni Islam, the Alawites (also known by their original name – the Nasiris) are considered idolaters. Their faith consists of three parts: pagan – the worship of the stars and the zodiac; Christian – celebrate Christian holidays (such as Christmas) and hold Mass (including drinking wine, which is forbidden in Islam); and Shiites – admire Ali ibn Abu Taleb.
Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the greatest Muslim jurists of the 14th century, stated in a fatwa that “they are more heretics than the Jews and the Christians.”
The Alawite community was founded in the 10th century, and for centuries has suffered oppression and persecution by the Sunni authorities. This allowed the French imperialists to recruit many Alwites to their army. As part of the “divide and rule” policy, the French granted the Alawites autonomy. After Syria gained independence in 1946, the Alawites began to occupy senior positions in the Syrian army. They chose to join the Baath Party, which promised its supporters social equality, tolerance, and a secular state.
By 1966, three years after the Baath Party seized power, the Alawites had the power to stage another coup under the leadership of Chief of Staff Salah Jadid. In November 1970, his partner, Hafez al-Assad, commander of the air force and minister of defense, took advantage of the security and political crisis in Syria and made the coup that brought him to power. Members of the Assad family ruled Syria with a high and cruel hand for 54 years.
During the years of violent conflict in the country, the Alawites backed Assad the butcher, knowing that the fall of the regime would lead to the loss of their economic and political assets, and endanger the security of the community
Throughout the years of the butchering of Syria by Assad, the Alawites gave Assad complete backing.
On March 8 this year the pro-Assad Alawites tried to overthrow the new government and to regain their lost power by a counter revolution backed by Israel and Iran.
Endnotes:
[i] Mera Aladam 13 March 2025 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/former-head-israeli-military-intelligence-welcomes-chaos-syria