Wiam Wahab, the head of the Arab Unification Party, revealed that he acted as an intermediary between Israel and the ousted Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with Al-Jadeed TV, Wahab disclosed that he played the role of a mediator, relaying messages from Israel to Maher al-Assad, since the West believed Bashar al-Assad was being deceptive. The objective of these exchanges was to push the Syrian regime toward recognizing Israel and establishing peace.
Wahab stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged as “the only victor in the Syrian war.” He argued that the conflict was essentially a political maneuver orchestrated by international powers to reshape the region, with no real benefit for the Syrian people. “In the end,” he remarked, “everything that happened in Syria served Israel’s interests.”
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He further explained that the rift between Bashar Assad and Russia stemmed from Assad’s refusal to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which angered Moscow. Wahab placed full responsibility for Syria’s current predicament on Bashar Assad, asserting that his brother Maher had no role in making key political decisions.
Wahab also claimed that Bashar al-Assad amassed a fortune worth an estimated $400 billion—three times the wealth of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. He alleged that Assad withdrew $130 billion from Syria’s state coffers in just ten days, transferring the funds to Russia. “Corruption in Syria is so entrenched,” Wahab stated, “that even political matters were managed through fraud.”
Wahab recalled a 2012 request from Bashar Assad, who allegedly asked him to create a problem with Walid Jumblatt in the mountains. Wahab vehemently refused, saying, “I refused to engage in fitna [civil strife].”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.