Iran Rejected Quid Pro Quo to Leave Syria

A Lebanese newspaper is reporting a quid pro quo offer by Washington was rejected by Syria in a secret meeting last week. According to Al-Akhbar, a U.S. Defense Department delegation was escorted to an undisclosed location where it offered the Syrian security chief details of the American plan which was ultimately rejected out-of-hand, reportedly because the US is an “occupying force.” The proposal was simple and straight forward: American forces leave Syria and Iranian forces leave southern Syria. The U.S. would receive intelligence on terrorist groups working in Syria and take a cut of Syrian oil. In receiving the rejection, the Americans were also told that there is now a unified “axis of resistance” comprised of the Iranian forces, Syrian army and Hizbullah terrorist fighters that will repel any attempts to infringe on Syrian territory – which Israel and the U.S. do with frequency. Israel’s longstanding policy is to destroy incoming weapons from Iran and arms supply depots.