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US officials informed Turkey earlier this month that Israel did not want Syrian President Bashar al-Assad removed from power, even after the rebel offensive that seized cities such as Aleppo and Hama, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan revealed in an interview on Sunday.
“Israel has never wanted Bashar to leave,” Fidan told Al Hadath TV.
“Israel was displeased with the space Bashar had granted to the Iranians. Even after the rebel operation began, the Americans conveyed to us that Israel does not want Bashar to go, even until last day.”
Fidan further disclosed that during a 2016 visit to Turkey, then-US Vice President Joe Biden had informed Ankara that Washington opposed toppling Assad.
“He told us that the US doesn’t want Bashar to go,” Fidan said. “We understood that this wasn’t truly his own stance but rather Israel’s position.”
