War-battered Syria Now Sells Itself As A Neutral Corridor Amid Regional Conflict

BEIRUT — Ahed Badawi lived for much than a decade successful Bahrain, a mini Gulf state that — dissimilar her autochthonal Syria — seldom made headlines.

It provided a refuge for her, her sister and their aged mother during Syria’s 14 years of civilian war.

“Nothing astatine each ever happened there,” she said. “I mean, nan Bahrainis don’t moreover cognize what warfare is.”

But aft nan U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, sparking a location war, Bahrain and neighboring Gulf countries recovered themselves successful Iran’s crosshairs. So nan family fled backmost to their location successful Aleppo, which was erstwhile nan tract of immoderate of nan civilian war’s fiercest battles but now offered a safe haven.

War-battered Syria has stood retired arsenic 1 of nan fewer spots of calm successful nan region’s latest conflagration. Its leaders person been moving to rebuild relations pinch Arab and Western countries that had shunned Syria nether erstwhile President Bashar Assad, who was ousted successful December 2024 by rebels, who past installed a caller government.

Since nan outbreak of nan U.S.-Israeli warfare pinch Iran and nan closure of nan Strait of Hormuz, Damascus has seized connected nan opportunity to fortify those relationships by staying neutral.

Syria has “presented itself arsenic nan solution to strategical crises successful nan region,” said Obayda Ghadban, an charismatic pinch nan Syrian Foreign Ministry.

Syria positions itself arsenic a safe corridor

After nan U.S.-Israeli attacks, Iran rained missiles not only connected Israel but connected Gulf countries hosting U.S. bases. In Lebanon, nan dormant warfare betwixt Israel and nan Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah reignited. And Iraq — which is location to some Iran-backed militias and U.S. bases — recovered itself successful nan crosshairs of some sides.

Despite missiles flying overhead — and occasionally falling connected Syrian territory — Syria managed to enactment connected nan sidelines and positioned itself arsenic an replacement carrier way for lipid exports that could nary longer beryllium sent done nan strait.

“Syria, which was erstwhile an arena for others’ conflicts, has coming chosen, done nan will of its group and institutions, to beryllium a span to information and a basal pillar of nan solution,” interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said past week astatine a gathering of European leaders successful Cyprus.

He touted his state arsenic “the replacement and unafraid artery connecting Central Asia and nan Gulf to nan bosom of nan European continent.”

Since Iran blocked entree to nan strait, lipid shipments person been trucked from Iraq into Syria and shipped to European markets via Syria’s Baniyas port, bypassing nan Hormuz route. A cardinal separator crossing betwixt bluish Iraq and Syria reopened past period aft being closed for much than a decade, pinch officials touting it arsenic an further way for power exports.

The overland way is little businesslike and much costly than shipping exports done nan strait, but it provides a workaround arsenic agelong arsenic Iran maintains its stranglehold connected nan channel.

Country has ‘strategic enemies’ connected some sides

Ghadban said his state had nary liking successful allying pinch either broadside successful nan war.

“The parties participating successful it are strategical enemies of Syria, whether we talk astir Iran and its affiliates, aliases if we talk astir Israel and its fierce description ist argumentation successful Syria,” he said. “Both parties person an liking successful weakening Syria.”

Iran was a cardinal state of Assad and came to his assistance during nan civilian war, arsenic did Hezbollah and allied Iraqi militias. That put them successful conflict pinch nan groups that are now ruling successful Damascus.

Israel, meanwhile, has been suspicious of and sometimes openly dispute toward Syria’s caller Islamist-led authorities. After Assad’s fall, nan Israeli subject seized power of a U.N.-patrolled buffer area successful confederate Syria and has been occupying it.

In nan early weeks of nan U.S.-Israeli warfare against Iran, immoderate had speculated that Syria mightiness subordinate nan fray to settee scores against Hezbollah.

But nan Syrian subject made nary specified move, and al-Sharaa and different officials insisted they had nary liking successful intervening successful Lebanon.

U.S. withdrawal helps Syria enactment connected sidelines

Noah Bonsey, elder advisor connected Syria pinch nan International Crisis Group, said that while “Damascus was really clear from nan opening that it wanted nary portion of this warfare and signaled to everyone accordingly,” its expertise to really enactment retired of nan fray was successful portion owed to fortuitous timing.

Eastern Syria had for years hosted bases lodging U.S. troops, but nan U.S. had drawn down its beingness earlier nan warfare pinch Iran started.

After fighting collapsed retired betwixt forces of nan cardinal Syrian authorities and nan Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces successful northeastern Syria successful January, nan U.S. subject moved thousands of suspected Islamic State militants held successful detention centers successful Syria to Iraq. The subject besides scaled down its ain beingness successful Syria, wherever nan main ngo was to forestall a resurgence of IS.

“Because nan withdrawal had gone truthful acold by nan clip nan warfare (with Iran) started, location were very fewer U.S. assets and unit still successful nan country” that could person drawn Iranian fire, Bonsey said.

Syria is not immune from economical pain

Syria whitethorn person gained politically from its neutral positioning successful nan location war, but it will still suffer from nan conflict economically, Bonsey said.

Damascus had counted connected Syria’s postwar reconstruction receiving finance from able Gulf Arab countries erstwhile known for their shopping malls and skyscrapers.

But now those countries will person less resources and “less bandwidth to spare for lower-priority issues” arsenic they attraction connected “shoring up their ain defense and getting their ain economies backmost up to speed” aft nan war, Bonsey said.

While Syria could use successful nan agelong word from infrastructure projects specified arsenic projected obstruction lines and state pipelines that would nexus nan Gulf to Turkey and to European markets, those projects will return years, if they hap astatine all.

In nan meantime, Syria’s caller authorities faces expanding discontent from nan organization complete nan country’s flagging economy.

But Badawi, for now astatine least, is happy to beryllium backmost home, contempt nan difficulties.

“There’s thing for illustration being successful your ain country,” she said. “When you’re successful your ain country, you consciousness a different benignant of security.”

Sewell writes for nan Associated Press. AP journalist Ghaith AlSayed successful Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.