Al-Monitor Discovers Syria Existed in December
The story suggests a 'new page' is being turned, yet simultaneously claims the 'Assad dynasty, ousted in December,' was responsible for assassinations and controlled Lebanon for decades. It's a curious framing, given that Bashar al-Assad was 'ousted' less than a month ago, not historically, and his regime has been a fixture in Syria—and a major influence in Lebanon—for decades. This selective
amnesia about who exactly was in charge until very, very recently, and the long, bloody history of Syrian involvement in Lebanese internal affairs, is baffling. One might wonder if the rush to declare Assad 'ousted' in December is designed to neatly sever the uncomfortable reality of past US diplomacy with that very regime, or perhaps to simply gloss over the inconvenient fact that US-backed
fighters were often playing chess with Assad's rivals. How many 'ousted' regimes are still answering for assassinations that happened while they were very much in power? The clarity on when an ousted regime becomes historically accountable seems to shift depending on the day's geopolitical narrative.