“The Independent” newspaper: The demographic change that Iran follows in Syria hampers the refugee return to their cities
Diplomatic sources said that the demographic change that Iran leads in Syria is considered one of the obstacles preventing refugee return to their regions.
The sources added that this change Iran follows through brining in Shia to live in it instead of the native people from the Sunnis, according to “Independent Arabia” website.
The sources added that this policy included some areas on the border with Lebanon, such as al-Qusayr in Homs countryside, pointing out that the United Nations has data stating that the main obstacle for people of al-Qusayr region to return is not a security obstacle rather a “demographic” one.
For his part, the writer and specialist in Islamic movements affairs, Ahmed Ayoubi, considered that al-Qusayr region controlled by the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and its allies from the Iranian militias has turned into a settlement which Shia groups have come to it like (Fatemiyoun) militias with increasing the endeavors to keep the population change in it since its downfall until today.
Ayoubi stated that al-Qusayr city locates on a strategic line linking the Syrian depth with Shiaa areas in Lebanon which Hezbollah militia completes its control on them.
The severity of the policies pursued by the Assad regime and Iran, aiming to bring about demographic change that serves their vision of creating a “useful Syria,” has escalated recently. This has appeared clearly and systematically since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, from Al-Qusayr to Al-Zabadani, Daraya, Al-Moadamiya, and Al-Waer neighborhood in Homs, which in turn witnessed widespread destruction of Sunni majority neighborhoods.