Those children forcibly expelled from their homeland have grown up and returned home

The operation the Syrian opposition launched to retake the city of Aleppo has, it seems, advanced much faster than even they themselves had predicted. The Aleppo operation, expected to take if not months then perhaps weeks or at least days, ended, with the rapid disintegration of the regime's ranks from its second day, in the almost complete control of the city and all its surroundings. It did not stop there; after Aleppo, all the remaining parts of Idlib were brought under control at the same speed.

This rapid advance and the disintegration of the regime forces undoubtedly created a very great moral superiority in the ranks of the opposition. The images of the opposition fighters who entered the city of Aleppo prostrating in thanksgiving amid cries of takbir and tears of joy found wide resonance throughout the world.

With this moral superiority, news began to arrive at the same speed from every part of Syria that the regime was dissolving, its soldiers were fleeing, and the opposition was continuing its advance. Instant developments followed one another, but such rapid disintegration and such rapid victory do not fail to stir concerns too. That, once left on its own, the regime no longer had the capacity to hold out against the opposition even for a few hours was already known, but with this trial it was seen once more by everyone.

Unfortunately, the criminal regime, a criminal against humanity with no counterpart among the people from the past to the present, has been kept on its feet by force by Iran and Russia, as well as by the support of the US, whose doings in Syria are unclear (or, by now, quite well known to us). That even up to this hour there are minds that regard every movement, every action or uprising against Assad as a US-Israeli operation, and that they really suppose the US and Israel to be against Assad, is a matter of astonishment. They apparently think that the game the US plays with the PKK, the loyal child of the Baath regime, under the pretext of fighting DAESH, is played despite Assad or against Assad. What a naive thought, if they are not knowingly standing on the same emotional axis! Even today the regime withdraws from the areas it leaves in Aleppo by entrusting them to JPG, the loyal legionary of the US. Where do you think this sense of entrustment comes from?

It is very clear that, just as the Al-Aqsa Flood has shaken every stone in the world, it has shaken the stones in Syria too and thrown into disarray the balances of interest of many dirty, secret or open alliances. Already in early October it was being said that the Jordanian Foreign Minister had advised Assad that, if he wanted to survive, he must now separate from the Iran-Hezbollah axis and draw closer to the US-Israel axis. We were unable to follow whether it was denied or not. But it was seen that Assad, without needing any advice, had on his own assessments fallen into an anxiety for survival and was making open or covert gestures to the US-Israel.

It was being said that this situation disturbed Russia, already sufficiently occupied with Ukraine, and Iran, going through hard days in Lebanon on account of Hezbollah. Meanwhile it is known that the alliance between Iran and Russia too is not what it used to be. These have turned into warnings that make the cost of protecting Assad, as before, for this axis felt all the more.

But how possible could it be for Assad, who has been able to stay on his feet until now thanks to Iran and Russia, to lean a little more toward the US, with which relations were never bad anyway, and for that to form a protective shield for him?

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, in response to the opposition's advance at this speed, did not delay in announcing their support for Assad. Their solidarity with Assad, the chief culprit of the crisis and an enemy of his own people, on the part of these countries, which have not contributed an iota to the resolution of the human crises that have emerged in Syria for years, is moving to tears! Let us leave aside the Muslimhood of the millions who were killed, violated, forced to migrate in this crisis; all of them are Arab. If their Muslimhood does not concern them, let their Arabness at least concern them. Every Syrian refugee killed unjustly or forced to take refuge in other countries takes away something of the honor of these countries' leaders. Arab custom says so. Unfortunately the attitude they show on this matter does not surprise us at all. Who would expect, and why, that those who for 14 months have felt not the slightest concern over the genocide taking place in Gaza against Arab-Muslims would display any other human feeling on the Syria matter?

It has been left to non-Arab Turkey and some European countries to protect the trampled Arab honor in Syria, to look after those forcibly expelled from their homes. This shame alone should be more than enough for the rulers of some Arab countries. But instead of being ashamed of this, instead of seeing this shame and taking a lesson from it, they still express their support for Assad, who devalues the Arab peoples all over the world and humiliates them by reducing them to the level of hangers-on everywhere. Why are we surprised?

On the other hand, let us not forget that there are very important realities behind the success the Syrian opposition has recorded at this speed everywhere in Syria, starting from Aleppo. The first is that this opposition is the Syrian people themselves. Not outside occupying groups, but people trying to return directly to the homes from which they were driven. The words of the children evacuated from Aleppo 8 years ago are now remembered very well: "We are leaving now, but as soon as we grow up a little we will return to take back our home." The children who were 10-12 years old that day are now 18-20 and they are indeed working with the excitement, sincerity and rightfulness of returning to their homes.

The second is that in place of the disputes and conflicts that existed among the revolutionary forces in the early days of the Syrian revolution, there is an atmosphere of complete unity. The seeds of sedition that the US, Iran and the regime forces sowed among the opposition groups some eight years ago have withered. Everyone has experienced firsthand what kind of sedition DAESH is today, and everyone acts together knowing the importance of the Syrian people's unity.

The third is that the opposition forces are charged with extremely strong motivations against the revanchist feelings and actions that might arise while they try to liberate their cities from the occupiers. Proceeding from the fact that this is the Islamic sunnah of conquest, they act with very strong instructions never to touch the elderly, children, women, never to commit aggression against civilians who bear no arms, against their property and possessions, their homes. Not the slightest trace has been encountered so far of some of the practices that polluted the Syrian revolution in the past and paralyzed it after a while. This gives the present movement a rather moral distinction both against the regime and toward the people it has rescued from the regime.

That they put morality, compassion and security first toward their own people shows the depth of their roots in this land from which they could not truly be uprooted.