The ‘axis of resistance’ has been broken, but beware of the Ikhwani threat
The risk is that the anti-Israel “axis of resistance” from Iran could be replaced by a new pro-Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood alliance led by Turkey’s president.
By Giovanni Giacalone
JNS
Feb 6, 2025
Turkish officials recently warned that Israel is wrong for being skeptical about the new interim government in Damascus led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, aka Abu Mohammad al-Julani. According to Ankara, its cooperation with Damascus is important to maintain stability in Syria and counter Iran’s desire to drag the country into a new civil war.
A peaceful and politically stable Syria would be bad news for the Iranian regime. Its so-called “axis of resistance” connecting Iran to Lebanon is already suffering. It was broken by the Syrian rebel offensive that led to the ousting of longtime Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as by Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon that ravaged Hezbollah.
The regime sitting in Tehran is in the weakest state since its birth in 1979. It is unable, at least for now, to destabilize the Middle East as it did until not too long ago.
The pressure against Tehran must not only be firmly maintained but must be also increased until the regime follows Assad’s path. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an online address to the Iranian people: “You will be free sooner than you think.” This is a dream that should be hoped for by all supporters of freedom and democracy.
In the meantime, extreme caution must be kept toward the new leadership in Syria and its Turkish backer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP-led government. Just recently, the new Israeli minister of foreign affairs, Gideon Sa’ar, highlighted an essential aspect regarding Erdoğan’s Turkey, and its ideological link to Hamas and Qatar.
“ … [I]t is important to understand that the distance between Hamas and Qatar is very small,” he said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.
“They are not on opposite ends of the spectrum. This must be
acknowledged, especially given Qatar’s alignment with Turkey and their
shared ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. … This is something we need
to monitor closely, as it has the potential to impact regional
dynamics.”
Sa’ar also recently said that the regime in Damascus is essentially a gang, not a legitimate government. It is incapable of establishing a sustainable framework for the Syrian people and the country is unstable since other areas are controlled by Islamist extremists.
Noor Dahri, director of the Islamic Theology of Counter-Terrorism, a United Kingdom-based think tank, provided a clear profile of Julani, saying that he is an “Islamist figure, not secular” and that he will implement an Islamic constitution that will seem moderate to the Syrian people and the world, but will be an Ikhwani (“Muslim Brotherhood”) version of Islam in Syria.”
Dahri also said that after Damascus implements the new Syrian constitution, it will be another Muslim Brotherhood state in the region.
Despite statements made by Julani regarding the will to maintain peace with Israel, it is important to keep in mind where he comes from and that he is supported by Turkey and Qatar.
Let’s not forget that Erdoğan has been openly supporting Hamas, therefore undermining Israel-Turkey relations since at least 2010. In the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, Erdoğan has been hosting several of its leaders on Turkish soil, describing the Palestinian terrorists as “freedom fighters,” “a liberation group” and “mujahideen waging a battle to protect its lands and people.” The Turkish leader also compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. Hamas is, after all, the Palestinian expression of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Erdoğan compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler
It is also important to note that the Sunni cleric Sheik Osama El-Rifai, who has often been referred to by the media as “the Syrian opposition’s grand mufti”, is linked to the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. He moved to Turkey in June 2012 and started working with Erdoğan’s government, both in Turkey and in parts of northern Syria that are under the control of Turkish armed forces to promote a narrative in line with the political Islamist discourse of Erdoğan’s AKP.
Turkey and Qatar, another main supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, strongly condemned Israel’s seizure of the buffer zone and sites in Syria, calling the actions “a dangerous development.” This is an interesting position, considering that Ankara has constantly violated Syria’s boundaries as it has placed troops able to target Kurdish areas, while also supporting and assisting ethnic Turk and Islamist armed groups.
The risk is that the anti-Israel “axis of resistance” from Iran could be replaced by a new pro-Hamas Ikhwani alliance led by Erdoğan, who may wish to present himself as the new Paladin of the Palestinian cause. This could, eventually, open a new front from Syria, using jihadists and armed ethnic Turk groups as Erdoğan consolidates his influence within the country’s new government.
It is worth recalling that the clumsy path of legitimizing jihadists and Islamic extremists linked to the Muslim Brotherhood had already been attempted during the so-called “Arab Spring,” and the results were disastrous in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. It would be desirable not to make the same mistake again. Israel, therefore, is right to be suspicious, critical and extremely cautious toward Julani’s new Syrian government. It is equally right that Israel intervene militarily in Syria to ensure a buffer zone to maintain its safety.
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