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A Threat From Russia: The Wounded Maestro of Chaos May Strike Back
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria, Dec. 11, 2017. Photo: Special Report RUSSIA-FLIGHTS/ Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/ via REUTERS
Russia is wounded. It is bleeding and embarrassed. For a country with a history of asserting and reasserting its pride, a diminished standing is not what Vladimir Putin had in mind.
Russia’s strategy in confronting the unipolar world presided over by the United States and replacing it with a new world order where old rules no longer apply can succinctly be described as chaos. That approach has worked and delivered spectacular victories for Russia, which has been expanding its influence in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and South America.
The last four American presidents have been unable and at times unwilling to stop the pace of Russia’s expansion. It looked like in the fight for world order, the West stood no chance.
Then came the quagmire in Ukraine, which Russia spun as another form of chaos, and finally the collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria, the pillar of Russia’s expansion in the Middle East. Suddenly, it turns out, nobody, not even Russia, controls chaos and the fires started by the Kremlin may actually burn the arsonist.
The loss of Syria came, to repeat the words of Ernest Hemingway, “gradually and then suddenly.” The civil war in Syria started in 2011. In 2015, when it looked like the regime of Bashar al-Assad may not survive, Vladimir Putin saw an opportunity to reinsert Russia back into the Middle East. Russia intervened and saved the regime in Damascus.
The latest bout of instability began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas stormed and massacred communities in the south of Israel. It is unclear if Russia had its hand in planning any part of the attack, but it definitely encouraged Hamas’ behavior by supporting Hamas in international forums, giving its full support to Iran, and openly welcoming Hamas’ leadership in Moscow. Given the Kremlin’s close relationship with Hamas and Russia’s intelligence connections with Iran and Hezbollah, it is difficult to assume Russia had no idea about Hamas’ plans.
After October 7, Russia did everything in its power to prolong and escalate the conflict. It sided with the critics of Israel in international forums. It condemned every action Israel has taken in self defense. It supported Hezbollah and Iran militarily.
Given the vast quantities of modern Russian weapons found by the Israel Defense Forces in Lebanon, Russian support was not relegated to warm words and propaganda only. Russia’s plan was to inflame the Middle East even further. It wanted to draw Israel and the United States into direct conflict with terror proxies and Iran. Absolute chaos in the Middle East served Russia’s interest to divert American resources elsewhere from Europe, and to gain maximum freedom of action in Ukraine. And it almost achieved that goal — until the chaos came for Moscow.
From Stalin onward, Soviet and then Russia’s foreign policy is the reflection of its domestic struggles. Vladimir Putin, like most of his predecessors, spent too much time dealing with domestic “enemies.” Like Stalin, he succeeded in crushing all domestic dissent. That achievement, however, accustomed him to the environment where he, as the only real player, controls the time and rules.
Putin lost any respect for or fear of the United States, he believed Israel to be nothing more than America’s puppet, and stopped paying attention to “small” pieces of the puzzle, such as Syria. His view of America, at least its current administration, was not completely wrong.
However, Israel’s willingness to fight for its survival even against American wishes likely surprised Putin. Perhaps old Soviet condescension towards the Jewish State played a role. Pushed too far by the threats from all sides, Israel, in a series of masterful blows, eliminated Hezbollah as a military force (at least for the moment). Back in 2015, Hezbollah saved Assad from defeat. It provided the boots on the ground — fighters willing to die to save the regime. Now that force was demoralized, fighting for its own survival. The rebels sensed that weakness and with Turkey’s help and encouragement, sent Assad packing for his “dacha” in Moscow.
It is unclear if Russia’s bases will remain in Syria. They may — as whoever will control Syria in the near future may find it useful to play Russia against the US and Iran. However, Russia’s status in Syria will diminish significantly. The very same chaos that brought Russia back to the Middle East seems to have expelled it as suddenly, a mere decade later.
Putin was looking forward to the “reset” provided by Donald Trump and his desire to negotiate some agreement over Ukraine. Russia was approaching the future negotiations from a position of growing strength. That was only a month ago. Vladimir Putin feels personally humiliated by Assad’s collapse. Betraying allies was exclusively an American thing. That is not the case anymore. Putin will try to improve his world position before the talks over Ukraine commence. He is angry and may become reckless. Georgia and Moldova provide two immediate opportunities to re-asset Russia’s standing. The outgoing and new administrations must be vigilant and ready for Russia, the wounded maestro of the chaos, to strike back.
The author lives and works in Silicon Valley, California. He is a founding member of San Francisco Voice for Israel.
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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