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Iran Suspends Religious Trips to Syria: Implicit Admission of Expansionist Policy Failure
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Iran's decision to suspend religious visits to Syria reflects the failure of its expansionist policy in the region, as it has become unable to ensure the safety of its citizens in the state it claims
In a move revealing the fragility of Iran's presence in Syria, Tehran announced the suspension of religious visit trips to Shiite shrines and mausoleums in Syria, citing "security reasons."
This decision comes amid escalating confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran's arm in Lebanon, highlighting the high price civilians pay as a result of Iran's expansionist policies in the region.
The head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Abbas Hosseini, told state television: "Sending visitors to Syria has been suspended due to security problems." This implicit admission of Iran's inability to protect its citizens in Syria exposes the falsehood of its claims to secure stability in the country where it has been militarily intervening for years.
This decision comes at a time when the region is witnessing a dangerous escalation, with Israel launching a series of intensive raids on Hezbollah targets and its allies in Lebanon and Syria, resulting in dozens of casualties, confirming that the Iranian presence in Syria has turned the country into a proxy war arena, ignoring the suffering of the Syrian people.
According to a report issued by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in June 2023, Iran's intervention in Syria has cost Tehran nearly $30 billion annually, with human losses estimated at thousands of casualties from Iranian forces and affiliated militias. These figures highlight the extent of depletion Iran is experiencing as a result of its expansionist policies.
Analysts view the suspension of religious trips as reflecting the failure of Iran's strategy in using religion as a cover for its political and military interventions. Instead of strengthening Iranian influence, these policies have destabilized the entire region and endangered the lives of civilians, including Iranian visitors themselves.
It's worth noting that Iranian airlines, which operate multiple daily flights to Lebanon and Syria, have long been accused of transporting Hezbollah elements and associated Iranian figures, confirming Iran's exploitation of civilian flights for military purposes, ignoring the risks that ordinary travelers may face.
In light of these developments, international security and peace experts call for the need to stop Iranian intervention in Syria and the region as a whole, as it's clear that this intervention has brought nothing but destruction and instability, and has become a threat not only to Arab peoples but even to Iranian citizens themselves.
Levant-Agencies
