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The Strong Player, The Reckless Player, and Trump's Watch
The Syrian is used to watching others' matches in his stadium for a long time: Qassem Soleimani and Hassan Nasrallah scoring goals, and the Resistance team leading the Middle Eastern League. The Syrian President (Assad) was neither in the starting lineup nor on the bench; he was distributing refreshments to the players during halftime.
In distant Moscow, Assad follows the Syrian match—not with new faces, but with a familiar reckless player, Netanyahu. He knows him well and fears provocation from this player, as misplaying with him opens the gates of hell. Assad does not trust enemies unless they’re dead bodies; handshakes and smiles do not tempt him. He avoided Nasrallah and Sinwar, escaping their fate.
More painful than losing Hafez Assad’s seat or the Damascus seals, and more intense than people vandalizing statues and images, is watching those called the “Strong Player”—who has advanced from Abu Mohammed al-Julani and wears the badge of President Ahmad Shuqayr. It’s hard to believe that Shuqayr could confront Netanyahu on the Syrian field. He has the right to rub his eyes when he sees the referee is Trump—the tough man who broke the policies of double standards.
Israeli assaults on the General Staff headquarters, and on the Syrian state’s new sites and institutions, are more dangerous than all previous incidents. It is very serious for Israel to use the Syrian component as a cover; Netanyahu exceeds the exhaustion of Shuqayr with aims to break his back and push Syria toward factional wars that threaten its perpetual disintegration.
Shuqayr enjoys Arab support and Turkish backing, but the Syrian stadium is full of pitfalls and traps. Netanyahu, who mastered killing, has also mastered setting traps.
The Strong Player fell into a trap of misunderstanding—Baku, Azerbaijan—but managed to sneak into Trump’s mind, the tough man, a deal-driven and unpredictable figure. He doesn’t acknowledge failure and doesn’t hesitate to show a red card, surpassing warnings. He reads players’ actions with his eyes and doesn’t wait for aides’ opinions. Shuqayr realized that this stubborn man alone grants guarantees.
Shuqayr avoided open confrontation with Israel and steered clear of expired prescriptions, prioritizing Syrian interests.
The Strong Player retreated; the appetites of separatists grew. Overweeningly, Netanyahu declared: “The ceasefire was achieved through force, not through requests.”
Sometimes, the counterattack doesn’t come from the team captain, and the decisive hit may not carry your fingerprints. The tribes’ mobilization and their incursion into southern Syria, along with their clashes with Druz separatists, surprised the audience and brought the Strong Player back into the opponents’ penalty area. The game remains ongoing as long as Trump doesn’t check his watch or tweet a new message. It’s possible that the Strong Player and the Reckless Player will play together in the Abrahamic team.
Dr. Osama Ahmed Nizar Saleh
