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Special Meeting of the National Council of Resistance:
With Assad’s downfall, the Iranian regime’s strategic depth has collapsed, and it will soon be expelled from the entire region
Following the overthrow of Syria’s dictator and the significant blow dealt to Ali Khamenei and the regime of Velayat-e Faqih, an extraordinary session of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) was held on Monday, December 9, 2024. The meeting was chaired by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s President-elect.
At the session’s outset, Mrs. Rajavi, on behalf of the NCRI, congratulated the people of Syria, the revolutionaries, political prisoners, and the families of hundreds of thousands of martyrs of the Syrian revolution on the overthrow of the Assad family’s 54-year dictatorship. She expressed hope that this victory would mark the beginning of freedom, prosperity, and progress for the Syrian people. She emphasized that the collapse of the Iranian regime’s closest ally signifies the prelude to the complete failure of its aggressive and warmongering policies throughout the region. The religious dictatorship’s “strategic depth” in Iran has crumbled, and the regime will soon be driven out of all regional countries.
Mrs. Rajavi underscored that Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow was achieved through the sacrifices of rebellious youth who represented the wrath and outrage of the people. These are the same people who, in recent years, suffered the loss of more than 500,000 lives at the hands of Assad’s regime. Additionally, the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the boycott of the regime’s sham elections for the Assembly of Experts and the presidency, repeated defeats of Velayat-e Faqih policies in the region, and the disintegration of its forces, proxies, and mercenaries rendered the regime powerless in supporting Assad. The backbone of Assad’s regime—Khamenei’s forces—had fallen apart.
As the Iranian Resistance stated last year, Khamenei is the strategic loser of a war he ignited to suppress the Iranian people’s uprising. Khamenei repeatedly claimed, “If the defenders of the shrine [in Syria] hadn’t fought there, we would have had to fight in Kermanshah and Hamedan.” Now, Khamenei must tremble in fear of the people’s uprising as his strategic depth has been lost.
Mrs. Rajavi added that the NCRI is proud to have stood alongside the people and revolutionaries of Syria during the darkest times, championing their defense and consistently emphasizing the necessity of eradicating the regime’s influence from all countries in the region. The Iranian Resistance has, for years, persistently exposed numerous activities and conspiracies of the regime in Syria.
Mrs. Rajavi also stressed that despite successive defeats, the clerical regime will neither cease its internal repression nor its external warmongering and terrorism until its downfall. However, the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow the regime of Velayat-e Faqih is drawing ever closer to victory. A free and democratic Iran is the key to peace, stability, and freedom for the region and the world.
NCRI members noted that the overthrow of Syria’s dictator is a strategic and devastating blow to Khamenei and a significant impasse for the regime’s policy of exporting terrorism and warmongering through its proxy forces. It weakens the morale of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and other proxies. Now, the regime must answer to its internal factions for the long-term investment in the Syrian regime, including $50 billion spent during the 2010s.
Unsurprisingly, within 24 hours of Assad’s downfall, the regime’s Foreign Minister blamed Assad, stating, “What was shocking was the Syrian army’s inability and the rapid pace of developments in Syria. During a meeting with Mr. Assad, both Mr. Larijani and I found him surprised and critical of the army’s performance…”. In a ridiculous attempt to shift blame, he added, “We seriously advised the Syrian government to engage in dialogue with its opposition to resolve issues peacefully. We recommended strengthening the Syrian army’s morale, which Mr. Assad himself should have addressed, and improving interactions with the Syrian people.”
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the regime’s Judiciary Chief, also expressed fear over Assad’s overthrow, warning that given the situation in Syria“… ill-wishers might attempt to create problems in our country. Therefore, all relevant officials must continuously monitor developments and respond appropriately should ill-wishers attempt anything.”
NCRI members highlighted that Assad’s fall reveals another undeniable truth to the world: regimes like his, contrary to their propaganda, are highly vulnerable and fragile. When faced with the fire of the people’s anger, they collapse rapidly.
The members also discussed the necessary actions at this stage, emphasizing that recent developments in Syria and the region qualitatively weaken the ruling religious fascism in Iran, intensify its internal crises, and accelerate its overthrow through uprisings and the freedom army.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
11 December 2024