Mick Hartley

There may be much rejoicing over the collapse of the horrendous Assad regime in Damascus:

 Geir O. Pedersen, the United Nations' special envoy to Syria, says today "marks a watershed moment in Syria’s history".

The country has endured nearly 14 years of civil war, facing "relentless suffering and unspeakable loss," he says.

He adds: "this dark chapter has left deep scars, but today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new one—one of peace, reconciliation, dignity, and inclusion for all Syrians."

And it seems likely that this marks another disaster for Iran's planned Shi'ite crescent circling Israel. Hen Massig:

Syria was primarily used by Iran as a route to supply Hezbollah with weapons and money. It was a crucial part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias.

Each day, we witness the gradual weakening of Khamenei’s oppressive regime.

With some luck, a free Iran may soon become a reality—a long-overdue freedom for Iranians and the entire Middle East.

Likewise, Elica Le Bon:

While there is still uncertainty over the power vacuum that will follow, one thing is for sure, and that’s that the Islamic Regime in Iran just lost one of its closest allies that it had long assisted in massacres against Syrians with its proxy Hezbollah.

Iranians have been watching the heart-felt moments Syrians have deserved finally coming true over the past few days: release of political prisoners, returning home after exile, and visiting the graves of the beloveds they lost. This feeling is something many of us, like Syrians, could only imagine in our dreams.

Now with the Islamic regime’s proxy Hamas all but crumbled, Hezbollah disenfranchised in Lebanon and disempowered in Syria, this is the moment to finally take Iran back and free the Middle East from the regimes that finally met their match.

Let's hope so. Unfortunately we don't know yet what this new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group have in mind for Syria. So, "cautious hope" maybe, but it's a fair bet that a liberal pluralism and warm relations with Israel are not on the cards. In the Middle East change often – usually – means change for the worse.