By Nohad Topalian | 2024-09-24

BEIRUT -- The once close relationship between the Syrian and Iranian regimes is under increasing strain as their interests begin to diverge, Syrian sources said.

One sign of this is the Syrian regime's decision to remove the Iran-backed Houthis from the Yemeni embassy in Damascus and return it to the country's legitimate government.

The Syrian regime's foreign ministry in October 2023 announced it was removing the Houthis from the embassy, which it had handed over to them in 2015, following their September 2014 coup in Sanaa.

This decision falls within the framework of the restoration of ties between Syria and Saudi Arabia, which reopened its embassy in Damascus September 9.

Key figures in the Syrian regime "grasp the danger posed by the Iranian endeavor to Syria," as Syria attempts to reintegrate itself with the Arab League, Syrian Democratic Alliance member Samir Nashar told Al-Fassel.

Unstable relationship

Damascus still takes the Iranian position into account, Nashar said, but "Iran's relationship with the Syrian regime is no longer stable."

The Syrian regime knows that "under international law, it was not allowed to hand over the Yemeni embassy to the Houthis or to any illegitimate armed militia," Syrian opposition political researcher Munhil Barish told Al-Fassel.

Embassies must remain under the control of a legitimate government, he said.

"The Syrian regime understands that it must hand over the embassy to the internationally recognized, legitimate [Yemeni] government -- which will greatly disturb Iran," Barish said.

The Iranian regime is increasingly concerned about its relationship with Damascus, he said, particularly since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has been notably reluctant to enter.

This is at least in part due to Syria's desire to restore ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which virulently opposes Hamas.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are wealthy nations that could potentially play a major role in Syria's post-war reconstruction.

In contrast, Iran is in no position to contribute, and in fact seeks to gain control of Syria's natural resources in order to prop up its failing economy.

The Iranian regime also has a "great fear" that its relationship with Syria will be jeopardized amid Arab and international pressure to push the Syrian regime out of the Iranian axis, Barish said.