ANTI-IRANIAN MOVE
Syrian rebels’ attendance at peace talks to boost Russia
Russia set the new diplomatic effort in motion after Syrian rebels suffered a major defeat in eastern Aleppo
Beirut/Amman — Syrian rebel groups have decided to attend peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan in a bid to check Iranian influence over the war, rebel officials said on Monday. Their decision is a boost for a Russian-led initiative aimed at ending the conflict. Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, set the new diplomatic effort in motion after Syrian rebels suffered a major defeat in December, losing the areas they held in eastern Aleppo. The US, which led failed efforts to launch peace talks in 2016, has not been involved in the latest diplomacy. The talks are scheduled for January 23 in Astana. Assad has already said his government is ready to attend the talks. After winning ground with Russian and Iranian military support, he looks stronger than at any point in the war. Mohammad Alloush, the head of the political office of Jaish al-Islam rebel group, said the rebels took the decision at meetings under way in Ankara. They were working to form a d...
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