Syria civil war: Did Turkey fall into trap laid by US and Israel? Putin’s ‘brain’ says Erdogan made this strategic mistake as he…

Aleksandr Dugin, a controversial Russian philosopher who many consider as the mentor of Russian President Vladimir Putin said Turkey betrayed Russia by helping overthrow the Assad regime and helping the rebels in the Syria civil war, and this would prove costly for the country and its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syria Civil War: Israel launched a massive assault in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, destroying crucial military infrastructure and capturing the buffer zone near the Golan Heights region, After Assad’s toppling, allegations have surfaced from various quarters claiming that recent events in Syria were part of a well-planned effort by US and Israel, which was supported by Syria’s neighbour, Turkey.

Did Erdogan fall into trap laid by US and Israel?

Many experts believe that by supporting the plan to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have unwittingly fallen into a trap laid by Israel and United States. This claim has gained credence in the immediate aftermath of Assad’s fall as Israel took advantage of the situation and carried out Operation ‘Bashan Arrow’ against key military assets built by the former regime.

Apart from Israel’s wave of airstrikes in southern Syria, the US is also reportedly bombing Islamic State bases in central Syria, while Turkey is fighting Kurdish insurgents in the north to secure its borders.

These developments in the immediate aftermath of Assad’s toppling, have given credence to claims that the revival of rebel insurgency and the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, was a well-planned effort by US, Israel and Turkey.

Putin’s ‘mentor’ says Erdogan made ‘strategic mistake’ in Syria

But a senior Russian political expert has asserted that Turkey betrayed Russia by helping overthrow the Assad regime in Syria, and this would prove costly for the country and its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Aleksandr Dugin, a controversial Russian philosopher who many consider as the mentor of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the brains behind many of Putin’s strategic decisions, has asserted that Turkey made a “strategic mistake” in Syria and essentially ruined its chances of building any fruitful relationship with Russia or Iran, both staunch allies of Bashar al-Assad.

The political strategist noted that Russia had supported Erdogan and tried to avoid escalation with Turkey by its betrayal of Syria is “very painful for us”.

“We supported Erdogan until now. We tried to avoid escalation with Turkey in 2015 and we did much to help Erdogan during FOTO coup. The Syrian case is very painful for us. I think that that was strategic mistake for Erdogan. Kemalist idea was to defend Turkey inside its borders.”

Who is Aleksandr Dugin?

Aleksandr Dugin is a Russian philosopher/political strategist known for controversial views. Though Dugin does not formally work with Vladimir Putin, it is believed that he has a major influence on many strategic decisions made by the Russian President, including waging the war against Ukraine, earning him the moniker ‘Putin’s brain’.

In a veiled threat, Dugin warned Erdogan that betraying Russia and Putin would prove costly for Turkey in the long run.

“Russia will not do to Turkey any harm. For sure. But after such betrayal it is hard to hope that Russia will come to help Turkey in the case of trouble. And troubles arrive from time to time,” Dugin wrote on X.

“There are so many ties between Russia and Turkey. Its behaviour is clearly in favor of Israel and globalists that time. It is sad. Russia is not so weak as the West wants to present it. I believe that was miscalculation on the side of Erdogan,” he added.

Iran and Russia are the two main allies of Bashar al-Assad, the former President who was overthrown and forced to flee the country after rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, captured Damascus on early Sunday. Experts say Iran had spent billions of dollars propping up Assad during the war and deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria to keep its ally in power.