Under the title "Corruption and Violation of Sovereignty: Details of the Clash Between Assad and the Quds Force Commander in Syria," Al Arabiya published a news article discussing the Syrian-Iranian relationship following the ousting of Quds Force Commander in Syria, Mustafa Jawad Ghafari. The site noted that the “Al-Hadath” channel learned from a source familiar with developments that high-ranking officials, led by Syrian President Bashar Assad, were behind the ousting of Ghafari. According to the source, the Syrian presidential palace was dissatisfied with Ghafari's conduct as a representative of Iranian forces and their militias in Syria after long months of disputes regarding his activities that were considered a significant breach of Syrian sovereignty at all levels.
The source stated that Ghafari violated Syrian norms and smuggled goods aiming to create a "black market," posing a challenge and competition to the Syrian market. Furthermore, the source added that Iranian forces in Syria repeatedly exploited Syrian natural resources for their personal interests and engaged in looting economic resources while evading tax payments to the Syrian state.
The source also revealed that following a series of events in the wake of Israeli airstrikes, Ghafari admitted the presence of Iranian elements and weapons in areas where the Syrian state had prohibited their positioning. Moreover, contrary to instructions, Ghafari conducted several activities against the United States and Israel that nearly brought Syria into an unwanted regional war, including attacks on U.S. targets in Syria by Iranian-supported militias on October 20.
The source regarded this ousting as part of the negative trend facing Iranian positioning in Syria and the region as a whole. They viewed the removal of Mustafa Ghafari, who followed in Qassem Soleimani's footsteps by establishing a Syrian Hezbollah militia, as a blow to Soleimani's vision and dream of creating a land corridor between Iran and Lebanon.
