Nouri al-Maliki Warns Syria Is “Under Foreign Control” as Middle East Tensions Deepen
Baghdad- Former Iraqi Prime Minister and leading political figure Nouri al-Maliki has issued a sharp warning over Syria’s future, claiming the country is now effectively under Turkish and Israeli influence and questioning the legitimacy of its current leadership.
In remarks circulated by regional media, al-Maliki said Syria is being governed by figures he described as “terrorists who were once imprisoned in Iraq,” arguing that such groups lack the credibility and capacity to rule a nation as ethnically and religiously diverse as Syria. He warned that external control and militant politics could further destabilise the country and the wider region.
Al-Maliki’s comments come amid fast-moving developments across the Middle East. The region has seen renewed diplomatic maneuvering over Syria’s political transition, shifting alliances involving Turkey, Iran, Israel, and Arab states, and ongoing security flare-ups that have raised fears of a broader confrontation. Analysts say competing foreign interests in Syria continue to complicate efforts toward a durable settlement after years of war.
Regional observers note that Iraq is closely watching events next door, given the spillover risks of militancy, refugee flows, and cross-border insecurity. Al-Maliki’s intervention reflects growing concern among Iraqi political leaders that instability in Syria could once again threaten Iraq’s own fragile security balance.
Despite international calls for dialogue and reconstruction, Syria remains divided, with questions over sovereignty, governance, and foreign military presence still unresolved. Al-Maliki’s remarks add to an increasingly vocal regional debate over who should shape Syria’s future and how lasting stability can be achieved in the Middle East.
