‘Not our fight’: Trump says US should not get involved in Syria war as insurgents edge closer to Damascus

CAIRO – 7 December 2024: President-elect Donald Trump emphasized on Saturday that the United States should steer clear of military involvement in Syria during an offensive by insurgents, which has extended to the outskirts of the capital.

“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” he wrote in a post on X.

Opposition fighters in Syria, in an unprecedented move, have totally taken over numerous cities, in a highly coordinated offensive, and are now on the outskirts of Damascus, obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking out Assad. Russia, because they are so tied up…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2024

The Syrian civil war, which broke out in 2011 between Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s rule and insurgents but had largely subsided due to ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey in 2020, reignited over the past days.

Insurgents caught the Syrian government forces off guard on 27 November, seizing control of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, as well as Hama, and reportedly advanced to Homs and Damascus.

The offensive by Syrian opposition forces and insurgents, led by Sunni Jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has prompted retaliatory strikes by President Al-Assad's forces.

More than a decade of war in Syria around half a million people dead, forced millions more to flee their homes and disturbed regional peace. Foreign parties have interfered in the war, each supporting one side against the other.