If Washington listens to Israel and facilitates the return of the Russians, it will have reversed the one good thing to have come out of America’s involvement in Assad’s ouster. When the United States aided the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS),

Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralised, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Turkey's growing influence in the country, four sources familiar with the efforts said.

The source added that such an allegation is a lie made up by Israel "to cover up its plans regarding Syria after the fall of the Assad regime."