US Forces: Kicked out of Syria?

All right, hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Very, very excited to be with you on this January 26th. The month went by so fast, guys. I, I don't know if you are— I am sure you are noticing this, how fast time goes. So, and this is why it's very important, uh, don't waste it. You know, do things that matters to you, because anytime that, that is, that pass on, you're not getting it back. This is one thing in life you will never get back. It's time. So anyway, so excited to be with you as always. Let me see who is joining me from here. I'm gonna go to the chat box and take a look over there. Uh, Jimmy Jonga, good to see you. I, I don't know where you're joining me from, Jimmy, so if you want to type in there where you're joining me from, that would be great. Uh, Willie, as always, from West Memphis. Willie Holman, good to see you. Uh, uh, Maxmo 911 from London, good to see you. Hey, I heard something about England, is that true? Please confirm. That now the UK government is thinking about draft in preparation for war with Russia. It's laughable because the UK government is, is, is pathetic. So please confirm that one if it's possible. So Francis Tango, good to see you as always. Lucio Delgado, good to see you. Uh, Po Yang too, good to see you. Uh, uh, Masian Dorsey, good to see you. Muslim Revert, good to see you as always. Carmel, good to see you from Melbourne. Oh man, look, look at— guys, look where, where Carmel is joining us from. Look at that, Melbourne. Good to have you here, man. Truly, truly appreciate you being here. Army with Harmony, good to see you as always. Uh, Humanity First, from Connecticut, good to see you. Wow, wow, I like your screen name, man. I really— Quest for the Best, that's another nice, nice screen name here, uh, from London, UK. Oh yeah, got a lot of people from UK here, uh, Lucas Brown from Chicago, good to see you as always. Uh, Juan KC, where KC is one of the avid supporter of the channel, guys. I, I'm very grateful to to all of you. Like KC1, it's always very, very supportive of the channel. So good to see you from Malaysia. OMC, as always, good to see you from South Af— uh, oh, you said good morning, thanks to South Africa. You're right, and I intend to address that one on the other channel. I got some info about it. Uh, I want to share this with you guys on the screen. Check this out. So It says a lot. Thank you so much. Uh, uh, thank you all. Athene Wu, as always, good to see you. Uh, Courage Sadiki from South Africa, be proud of your country, man. Your country did something the rest of the world didn't have the gut to do it. So, so very, very, very proud of you, man, of your country, that is. Uh, Musa Love from London, UK. Musa, hey, good to see you. Omar Noor from Ireland. You guys in Ireland, you got to be proud of one of your lawyers. So I intend to address, uh, uh, something about her. Hugo Johansson from Sweden, good to see you here. And look at this one, guys, look where it's from. Uh, Gitamon Worku from Ethiopia. Wow, wow. You got Nadi Professor Oyebu from Nigeria, good to see you as always. And, uh, oh, John Gina— oh, she's an avid supporter. Jones— John Gilead Jones, an avid supporter of all channels. I see her a lot on the Health channel when I do my conversation with Dr. Stewart on Monday. So anyway, let's get in, guys, into what we're going to be talking about today. Well, today's topic is I'm going to be talking about the reports that is now emanating a lot, even here in the West. I was surprised to see this because Usually those kind of activities we tend to— when I say we, the government here in US tends to keep that kind of very low. It's like what happened today with the decision of the ICG. It's not covered in detail. Yes, there are few articles here and there, but in comparison to something else, big, big difference. So, so today that's what I'm going to be covering, just as a background for those who might not know uh, that the reports that is now coming out suggesting that the US presence in Syria and Iraq for that matter, which was established, uh, between 2014, 2015, and it was for one specific reason, to combat a group that starts with an I. You all know what it is because YouTube doesn't allow this word here, but I'm gonna talk detail about this one because if you only the background of that group how we came to be. So, and now, as I said, uh, now you're gonna be, well, and asking yourself, and here are the questions that I'm asking, uh, or putting just for, for our conversation, uh, where are the question? Right here. Look at this, guys. Why the sudden move now by the US forces leaving? And first of all, and second, were they voluntarily leaving? Or were they kicked, kicked, kicked out? Now, kicked out, it will be in a way that usually will be in a diplomatic protocol when a government, a host country, asks you to pack your stuff and leave, which is exactly what Iraq is doing right now. They are talking, the Pentagon and Iraq government are talking now about setting up a deadline when the US forces needs to be out completely. Now, to me, as one who worked in Washington, I know how things work. We're going to be dragging these talks, you know, because here we are, we're still over there. The invasion took place way back, so why are we still over there? Same argument can be made in Syria. And with the Syria issue, the next question would be, is Iraq next? Straightforward. It's because we have a reason to why we are up north. Coordinating between both groups in Iraq and groups in Syria. So, and the, the last question for this will be, how significant is this? Well, it is significant. Now, whether he moves forward or not, like I always say, guys, in international relations, context matters. The context of this suggests that the beginning of the end for US dominance in West Asia or Middle East, as it is known to some Western audience here, it's coming to an end in more ways than one, by the way. So, and this is what I'm gonna be detailing with you, uh, briefly here. And we're gonna take it to— here is the link, guys, for the— after I'm done here, this is what I'm gonna be going right away, and I am gonna be detailing a few things that Or not for you, I'll detail with you whatever I have because that's what I spent the afternoon yesterday, uh, uh, putting the information together. Here is the link on the chat box for you guys, uh, please share it with others, will greatly appreciate it. Uh, and that's what I'm gonna be detailing with you. And, uh, this is why, by the way, thank you so much for your vote about the topics because I, I like you to be part of the conversation, guys. Even the topics. And some of you, majority wanted this topic, of course, today. And I'm gonna— of course we're gonna do it, uh, but I want you to be part of the conversation as well. That's just how it works. So I will be doing tomorrow the other topic of the official visit of Iran to Turkey. If you only know the tensions that existed between those two, those two countries regarding Syria. Yeah, very, very interesting and fascinating developments, and I'll share a few other details with you, uh, limited here on this platform, but on the other one I will, uh, detail more. So, all right, let me go to the headlines or a tour around the world. So I will greatly appreciate it. And yes, yeah, thank you very much, Niner Media Group. Please hit the like button because I am noticing, uh, because you all know how the algorithm work and so forth. It's the more you share this video, the more the algorithm will push it forward. And if there are not enough likes— and I know, I'm aware of what's going on— YouTube sometimes remove comments, remove the likes, whatever. We all know. So YouTube, if you are listening, please, no need to suppress my channel. There's no need for that. Knowledge is for everybody. So, but for you guys, I will greatly appreciate it if you guys can share this with others, and I am very grateful to you. Hassan Yilmaz, thank you so much. You wrote, amazing show. Thank you so much. It's for all of us to learn from here, guys. So, all right, let me share with you a few things here, uh, when we do the tour around the world. I got some pictures that I need to share with you. Now, if I present or share picture with you and I don't comment, you all know why. And I will be detailing it on the next location where we're going to be. So I'm going to start with this, and I don't see any problem with this, so YouTube shouldn't have a problem with it. All right, this one, this is written in Arabic language. So those who write, who reads Arabic, you would know what I'm talking about. This is basically a rabbi, Moshe Ari Friedman. So why is this important? It is important because, uh, very, very interesting. I'm gonna share a few things because I can see why it will be a pushback against something like that. Uh, what happened is that, uh, let me get to my, uh, location right here. The Jewish rabbi, the one you're looking at a picture Uh, he stated, and I quote, this is his word, Israel has nothing to do with the Torah and the world must save Gaza by force. Wow. And again, that's, that's his word. So, and they are— I would like to share the entire quote but not here. I'm gonna save it for the next location. So, uh, second one is, uh, let me close this one here. Well, this is the picture, of course, of what we're talking about here, but this is just one image, and it makes you wonder, is it voluntary, uh, leave, or is it forced? And usually we won't hear much about the latter part because there are many groups in the region that will be attacking the US bases. It's already— that is happening right now in northern Iraq, which is in the Kurdistan region, which is where this is— it's related to. You have to understand the SDF— the, the, the DSF, I'm sorry, the Democratic Force that is in support of the Kurdistan. But if you only know the complications between Turkey and Kurdistan, because Turkey, uh, classified certain groups in Kurdistan as the T word. Yeah, it's so complicated, and this is why I need you just to break it down, at least for you, on, on a basic level, to understand where this is all coming from. Uh, next picture I will share with you has to do with the— this one right here. Uh, this one is Russian aircraft, fighter jets. So why is this important for you to know? Because Russia is warning now of the consequences of the US and the UK strikes in Yemen. Why is this? Is because first of all, it was a break of protocol regarding international law, because the UN Security Council never voted for it. That's one. Second, for us in our country, our president, incompetent president embarked on this without the approval of Congress. Okay. And third element is that, that we need to ask, and I'm going to ask you a question because I like to have your input or your answer. Do you think, will Russia support the HI Group by providing limited type of weapons? They can't provide them advanced weapon because if you provide advanced weapon, you wouldn't know where it's coming from. This is going to be done, done behind closed doors, or behind the scenes, if I may say that. So in your opinion, do you think Russia could support the HI group? Just leave me the answer in the chat box. I will greatly appreciate it. And this is why Russia now is warning that the strikes by the US and the UK, uh, could lead to destabilizing the whole region for that matter. And I can see that. Why? Why is this? Is because Iran now it's gonna be involved in the Red Sea. On what capacity? Nobody knows yet. Of course they are not going to disclose how. And the statements, this one here by the Russian, came during the visit. Guess what, guys? During a visit from a representative of the HI group who went to Moscow. So you can see where things are headed or are going. That, that's what I found very interesting. Uh, next one will be— oh yeah, this is an interesting one. Let me, uh, share the picture with you. Uh, Yeah, now what you looking at, that's an Indian passport. Why do I have that there? It's because India will be sending thousands of workers to work in Israel. Yeah, now those Indian individual, uh, the workers, they just want to better their lives economically speaking. Uh, will it make more sense to go to Israel? That's their decision. It's kind of odd and weird and all that stuff. So, but, but this is what it's all about. So what you're gonna be looking, or what Israel is going to be looking at, is a, an influx of Indian workers that they wanted to better their lives, I guess, economically, and Israel is one of the locations that they want to go to. So I found it very, very unusual and odd that India will allow its citizens to basically send in their citizens to their death. Basically, that's, that's the way I look at it. Uh, what else? Yes, I told, uh, who was that viewer from Ireland? Yeah, this is the picture of the Irish lawyer. Uh, she, her name is Grellay, uh, and she is a Here is what I'm going to say in one word, because I'm not going to detail till I go to the other location. She is on the right side of history. That's all I can say regarding what's going on. And I will detail with you later on as to what has been said and given the decision today that was made in ICG, the International Criminal Court. I'll detail all this later on. The other pictures that I have, as I said, uh, is this one here. I will elaborate on this later. And of course, what we're gonna be talking about today, and I will detail this on the other location because there's a lot of, a lot of keywords that the algorithm picks on and they end up— you all know, you know, no need to waste our time here. So all right, let's talk about our top, you know, to provide the brief, brief analysis on, on, on all this one. Person. As I said, a lot of reports coming out, uh, suggesting that the US troops now in both— not just Iraq and Syria— in both of them, they're looking at— have to evac, they have to leave. And again, to me as a geopolitical analyst, I ask is, are they leaving voluntarily or are they feeling the heat that is coming? And what do I mean by this is by looking at what the US and UK did in the Red Sea by attacking Yemen, and that didn't curtail the Houthi group. As a matter of fact, Houthi group is fighting back. So could it be that the US is calculating that we better just move our troops before we start having body bags coming over here? Because everything in the region is within reach of the type of missiles that all groups—HI, HA, and HZ—in addition to Iran, all of them have those within reach of most of US locations in the region. That's the way I interpret it, and to me it makes more sense here. Even both the State Department and the Defense Department, the US that is, they are saying that now the White House is growing wary concerned, if I may say, of sustaining the US troops in Syria. No, that's, that's just, that's bull. That's, that's not true. White House doesn't give a damn, doesn't care losing troops or not. It's irrelevant. Let's just say it's straightforward. And this is because you have a presence of about 1,000, if I'm not mistaken, 1,000 US troops there. But the troops are partnered with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, what the SDF, or Syrian Democratic Forces— we established that for a reason. And to hit two birds with one stone, we coordinated with none other than Kurds. Well, if you know the history of the Kurds and the Turks it will make more sense to you why Turkey was in Syria fighting those forces there. But also Syria wanted to— at that time, uh, Turkey rather wanted to, uh, uh, sort of change the, the regime in Syria, which it won't work anyway if you know the history of that part of the world. So, so far the reports coming out of Washington To minimize the impact, they're saying, well, no decision has been done yet, definitive. And I put this in quotes because that's how they word it in the article, which you and I know it's nothing but hypes, it's manipulation. Decision is made because they saw what's coming. That is the reason for— so before I move an inch onto this, I'm gonna share with you geography. And I'm going to share with you a little bit about history, because especially when it comes down to Syria, you have to understand the history of Syria. I disclosed that when I wrote, uh, the Saudi book, but also the, the Iran book. In both of them, I had to mention, uh, Syria, because Syria plays a role in, in, in both directions, or both locations, that is. So let's share some geography with you. Then I'm gonna share some, uh, links briefly regarding the US presence in, uh, in Syria and so forth. So let me open the link so I can share the map with you so you can see. Very interesting country, by the way, because it's a very, very old civilization that goes way back, and, and I read plenty on it, and I'm still learning about that. It's uh, it's just how it works. Let me, uh, yeah, there is no other way how to make the screen different than, than what it is here. So I'm going to make it bigger on mine here for you to see, and we'll talk about briefly about geography of Syria. Now, Syria, like other countries in the region, is a Western Asian country that is located in the northern and the Eastern Hemisphere of the Earth. Same thing like Saudi Arabia, same thing like Iran. They are within the same vicinity where that is. It is bordered by 5 Asian nations. When I say Asian nations, also referred to as West Asia, West Asia, that is Turkey in the north, Lebanon in the west, Iraq in the east, Jordan in the south, and Israel in the southwest. And also Syria is located in the west, uh, uh, located to the west is the Mediterranean Sea, which stretches all along the entire Syrian coastline. Now, if I said the coastline, now it might ring a bell for you as to why Russia had to move its forces back then and ensure the stability of the regime there. Because Russia— why is that, guys? Let me ask you the question. Why is that? Why is Russia was interested in supporting the Syrian regime to stay in power? Let me see if you can type in. And this has to do with some military, uh, aspects of it. So I'd like to solicit your input into this in just a bit. Once again, just for us to converse here. Because it has investments and bases, uh, investments to a degree. But you are, uh, who, who said this one here? Uh, let me, let me go back here because I like to— yeah, Chanel, Chanel, you did mention the latter part is more than the, the, the, the former. Uh, John, John Simmons, you got it right. Naval base. Where is that naval base? Can you guys see on the map? Can anybody tell me where that location of that base? Very, very, very strategic. And it starts with the T. You're right. Uh, Karakulak, access to the Mediterranean. I'm looking at the name of the base, uh, which region that is. Latakia. Yeah, you got it. E-82. You got it. It's in Tartus. Look where Tartus is. Look at where Homs— on the west side of Homs is Tartus. Tartus has access to the Mediterranean, so is Latakia, but Russian presence is in Tartus more so than any other location. So that is the reason why. So officially, Syria is known as the Syrian Arab Republic, which is a unitary republic. It is divided into about 14 governorates, uh, started with the governorate, the Arabic word for muhafadat, or muhafada, that is. So you have the main ones like Aleppo. I'm sure you heard it in the news. Al-Hasakah, Al-Suwaida, Daraa, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Hama, Homs, Idlib, Latakia, Quneitra, Raqqa, Rifidah Mars, and Tartus. Those are the key governorates down there. Damascus, which is the capital, is considered one of the world's oldest— yeah, world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. And it is the capital and largest city of Syria. Very, very, very interesting. Now, the geography is very important, but also, if you know the history of it, is even more interesting. So, and I'm going to share some, uh, snippet with you here because I'm not going to go through everything. Um, suffice it that I need to show you one particular a picture to highlight to you how old Syrian civilization is, just through its monuments. It will give you an idea. Look at this picture, guys, uh, and I had to get it through— oh, not this one, right here. Yeah, so I'm gonna share a few things about the history of Syria. Uh, like I said, Syria is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, very old, you know. And, and the thing about it, it has rich artistic and cultural heritage. From its ancient roots to its political instability and to the Syrian Civil War, of course, Syria is a complex, you know, and because of its tumultuous history. So I'm going to take you back to ancient Syria, then we'll move forward to contemporary time briefly, guys. This is not a— because it's not a course on history, that is. So, but you need to know this. Most Western audience have no idea. They won't understand. This is why the saying goes And, and some will disagree with me on this, but you are entitled to your opinion. All politics in the Middle East goes through Damascus. Yeah, that saying's been— it's been said for so long and still holds it today. So, so modern-day Syria, a country located in the— in West Asia or Middle East, that is, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the most ancient inhabited regions on Earth. So, so the oldest human remains found in Syria dates back roughly to about 700,000 years ago. And this based on archaeologists, uh, the, the uncovered skeletons and bones of Neanderthals that lived in the region during this period, 700,000 years ago. So Ebla, there is a city in Syria called Ebla, uh, that is thought to have existed around the 3000 BC, before common, uh, uh, is one of the oldest settlements to be excavated. Yeah, so throughout ancient times, Syria was occupied and ruled by several empires, including the Egyptians, the Hittites, the Sumerians, the Mitanni, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Canaanites— this one in Arabic called al-Kanaan, Kanaanion. Those who speak Arabic will know what I'm referring to. The Canaanites, the Phoenicians, the Arameans, Amorites, Persians, Greeks, and the last empire was the Romans. That is why it's important to understand. So ancient Syria was a region referred to often in the Bible, believe it or not. In, in one well-known account, the, the Apostle Paul cited, and I put this in quotes, the road to Damascus, the largest city in Syria, as the place where he had visions that led to his Christian conversion. So fast forward to when the Roman Empire fell. So when the Roman Empire fell, Syria became part of Eastern or Byzantine Empire. And it's interesting, around 637 AD— what happened in 637 AD? That is where Islam emerged, right? In 632, if I'm not mistaken. 637 AD, Muslim armies defeated the Byzantine Empire and took control of Syria, and that's when the religion of Islam spread quickly throughout the region and in different parts. Damascus eventually became the capital of the Islamic world. This is why Damascus and Baghdad, they both hold some old, old history in the Muslim world or Arab world, whatever you want to use the term for that. But, and here is the interesting thing, as I said, Damascus became the capital of the Islamic world but was replaced by Baghdad around 750 AD. This is one of the arguments I made, uh, before the invasion of Iraq, that I said it would not work and you're gonna be altering history in more ways than one if you only understand the role of Baghdad in the Muslim or Arab civilization. And of course, my advice was ignored, and we all know what the outcome was. So this change led to economic decline in Syria, and for the next several centuries, the region became unstable and was ruled by various groups. Fast forward to 1516. What happened during that time? The Ottoman Empire conquered Syria and remained in power till you know for how long, right guys? Till 1918, which basically around the time of World War I, after it was finished. This was considered relatively a peaceful and stable period in Syria history. Then what comes after that one? What happened after World War I? The Sykes-Picot agreement. Of course, you all know that during World War I, the French and British diplomats secretly agreed to divide the Ottoman Empire into zones as part of the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916. So under this agreement, the Sykes-Picot, most Arab lands under the rule of the Ottoman Empire were divided into British or French sphere of influence with the conclusion of World War I. This is why you still have, for example, in Lebanon, you have, uh, when you go to Lebanon, you have, for example, French language is one of the well-known in that part of, uh, of the world. Let me see if there's any other picture. No, we don't have any other picture here. So, uh, that was one of the West well-known Uh, in Syria also there's, uh, some, uh, locations where they speak French. Why? It's because the agreement that was made between French, uh, between France and the UK back then. Uh, let me share the map again just for us to follow through this, because I'm gonna move forward to, uh, uh, 1950s, '60s, what happened then. Then I'll jump quickly into the brief analysis and I'll go to the other location. So So what happened during that time? As I said, the Sykes-Picot divided, uh, because they ended basically the 400-year rule of the Ottoman, uh, the Ottoman Empire at that time. So the French reign led to uprising and revolt among the people in Syria. So from 1925 to 1927, Syrians united against the French occupation It was, was known at that time as the Great Syrian Revolt. Fast forward to 1936, France and Syria negotiated a treaty of independence which allowed Syria to remain independent but gave France military and economic power. It's almost, I feel, the same arrangement we're still seeing today with, for example, Canada and the UK. Australia and the UK. I would even go out further and say with Japan and the US, South Korea and the US, the Bahamas Islands or the Caribbean Islands, some of them, and the UK, all under the name of so-called the Commonwealth. Whose wealth is that? You got the idea, guys. So, so fast forward to World War II. British and Free French troops occupied Syria, but shortly after the war ended, meaning World War II, Syria officially became independent in 1946. Now there is also another part of history you need to know. After the independence of Syria, what took place? So the years immediately after, uh, the independence Those years were not good ones because they were marked by instability and military coups. Look at what happened in Syria, look at what happened in Iraq, look at what happened in Egypt and Lebanon. That's, that's the idea. So, so Syria joined, of course, in 1958, joined with Egypt and became the United Arab Republic. In 1958, but the union split a few short years after in 1961. And this is why I'm saying it's important to understand, because during the '60s, 1960s, there were so many military coups and revolts around the Arab world at that time in the region. So, and here is where it became officially in 1963 with the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, or Ba'ath Party, that's how pronounced in Arabic, Ba'ath Party, which were both in Syria and in Iraq, which was active throughout the Middle East since the late '40s, 1940s. And this Ba'ath Party seized power in Syria in a coup known as the Ba'ath Revolution. So of course, after '60, 1963, 3 came 1967. What happened in 1967, guys? One of the major event, military event, took place in that part of the world. Can anybody tell me? 1967, very, very major event that took place. Yeah, you should know this one here, guys. Let me just see what you guys can, uh, type in on the chat box. Six-Day War. Om, you got it. Uh, Cam 35, you got it. Uh, Muslim Revert, you got it. You guys got it. You got the point here. Second, 1967, it was the Six-Day War. Isra— but the outcome of it was bad still till today, is that Israel seized the Golan Heights. Golan Heights is one of the key strategic locations, which is a rocky plateau located in southern Syria— southern, I'm sorry, southwestern Syria. And that's still till today one of the main, main issues. Fast forward to 1970s, that's when Hafez al-Assad came to power, the current president's father. The current president is Bashar, his dad was Hafez Assad. Hafez Assad was a military man, he was the Secretary of Defense But he conducted a coup and overthrew the leader of Syria at that time. His name was Salah Jadid. So Hafez al-Assad stayed in power for almost 30 years. This is one thing about the Arab world: once they get to power, they stay there forever, and they passing on to their kids or whatever. So becomes heredity. Which to me it's useless. I mean, I don't agree with that kind of stuff anyway, but I never believed in that. So anyway, here, Hariri was part of the, uh, what's important about this for you to understand, guys, it's that how serious social fabric is. It's no different than Iraq, is no different than Lebanon. And this is one thing we never understood in the West. Except for some of us who delve deeper into the history and understand the cultures. Of course, when you speak the language, it helps you to read the literature in its own, uh, language. So what happens is that the social fabric in Syria, because it's made of so many ethnic groups, so many different sects, including the Maronites, the Alawites, The Druze, the Shiites, the Sunnites, the Christians, uh, there are so many. In Lebanon, there are about 16 or 17 sects. Just imagine this. Well, Hafez al-Assad was part of the Alawite, which is an Islam Alawite, which is a minority Shiite sect. And this is why during his presidency, he was credited with strengthening the military with the help of the— which country helped Syria at that time? Can anybody type in in the chat box which country? Because how will Assad strengthen the military with the help of a country? Uh, you are most welcome, Canadian Girl. You are most welcome. Thank you for your kind words. She wrote, uh, uh, just thanks for your channel. I love it. Thank you very much. Uh, you got it, you got it, P Yang. You, you guys got it. It was Russia, USSR. Now you understand the reason why the Russian President Putin, when the civil war started, which by the way we created it, he had to go in because his interests. So, and this is why Hafez Assad back then was credited strengthening the Syrian military with the help of the Soviet Union. So of course, 1973. What happened in 1973? Another major event in that part of the world, very major. 1973, I'm not talking about energy, another event. Let me see if you guys can type in that is There are two countries that got involved in, in this one here. Two countries in the region. See, Six-Day War was 1967. I'm referring to '73, to be exact. Uh, uh, '73. Yeah, there are only two. Lebanon, uh, you guys, you guys there but not there. This one happens between two countries, Egypt and Syria. What they— what these, these two countries did? Yeah, they won in a war against Israel. You guys got it. Yeah, 1973, Syria and Egypt went to war with Israel. So, and shortly after this conflict, Syria also got involved in the civil war in Lebanon. Why? Because in 1982, uh, Israel went into Lebanon. So also 1982 showed an interesting aspect of the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the one that organized a revolution against— or rebellion, or rather, against the Assad regime in the city of Hama. I was very aware of this because I read extensively on it. And what Hafez Assad did, uh, yeah, he didn't, he didn't hold back. There were about 20,000 people were killed. So that's the sum. And it was the same year in 1982, the same year that Israel invaded Lebanon at that time and attacked the Syrian army stationed there. This is why Lebanon is a client of Syria. Nothing happens in Lebanon without the approval of Syria. That's why if you look at history, why the former prime minister of Lebanon was taken, was gunned down, he was, it was, it was taken out. His name is, uh, Rafiq Hariri. Why? It's because he wanted to embark on a policy that contradicts Syria, and the people in Lebanon who are pro-Syrian didn't hold back. They put a, they put a bomb in his car and, and it was over. So fast forward to Bashar al-Assad, the current president. Bashar al-Assad took over after his father died in 19— in 2000, Hafez al-Assad died. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of people in the West do not know that Bashar al-Assad wasn't supposed to be in power. He was an ophthalmologist. He was educated in the UK. Uh, to my knowledge. And he has a degree in— in— he's an eye doctor, uh, uh. But his brother that was supposed to take the realm of power, uh, his, his older brother was named Basil, died in a car accident in 1994. So when Bashar became president at the age of 34, they had to amend the Constitution off Syria by reducing the age of the president from 40 to 34. And you all know the rest is history. That's how it works for that one. So it's very, very, very interesting. Oh, Abhi, thank you very much for becoming a YouTube member. Uh, I wish somebody can type into him what I said about the membership here. Yeah, I wish you could do it elsewhere, but anyway, I'm very grateful to you. And maybe someone will type in for you why that is, or I, I, I don't want to say it here because, believe it or not, I did find out why the, the channel here kind of limits certain things, including the membership. So, but thank you for becoming a member. I'm very grateful to you for that. So So now you understand briefly what the history of— I think it's about time for me to leave from here, so I'm gonna sign out here and we guys see you on the other location because that's when I will detail about the topic. So let me type in the link once again for you, uh, to go automatically directly to where I'm gonna be, and I will see you there. I'm going to put it in the chat box for you guys, and I'm also posting it here for you. Here is the link, okay? But I'm also going to type it for you in the chat box. So, and I'm going to be there in about 5 minutes. All right guys, I'll see you in about literally 5-10 minutes by the time you, you log off of this and sign off over there., and I will see you over there. So, all right guys, as always, remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. See you soon. Bye-bye.