Ted Cruz: The ‘Rebels’ Who Overtook Syria Are From ISIS, Al-Qaeda

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) warned this week that those who are cheering on the downfall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad should realize that those who conquered might be even worse than he was.

Cruz made the remarks on his “Verdict” podcast with co-host Ben Ferguson when talking about the stunning collapse of the regime after terrorists launched a campaign that lasted just a little over a week.

“His falling is a major loss for Russia. It’s a major loss for Iran. It’s a major loss for Hezbollah, all were allies,” Cruz said. “All are seriously hurt by his falling, but the rebels who have toppled him may well be even worse. It is radical Islamists who have been fighting against him. Many of them are remnants of Al-Qaeda, remnants of the Islamic State, and the people of Syria and Israel and America may soon find that the new leadership is even worse than the old.”

Cruz noted that the world is a dangerous place and there are evil dictators who lead countries, but that does not mean toppling those regimes will lead to a better outcome.

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“We’ve seen a pattern for the past 20 years of Americans supporting people toppling dictators who are fighting terrorists, only to have the terrorists take over and start fighting Americans instead,” he said. “And my perspective on this is, is this good for America or not? I would say at best, it is too soon to tell.””

He acknowledged that Assad was “a cruel and horrible dictator” and “a monster”, but that this moment felt a lot like other dictators who were toppled, like Saddam Hussein.

“They also celebrated the Cuban revolution in 1959, and we have seen many, many times that revolutions of one oppressive dictator can far too often, be replaced by an even worse regime,” he said. “And so, I think this is an exceptionally dangerous time right now and it is going to be important to do everything we can to prevent chemical weapons from falling into the hands of Al-Qaeda terrorists who would use them against Americans.”

President Trump put out a strong response to the chaos in Syria.

This is a dangerous time right now, and I am grateful that President Trump will bring clear-eyed leadership and stabilize the chaos that Joe Biden’s weakness allowed to unfold.https://t.co/ZU7UaWJeQX pic.twitter.com/yTE2FulnUY

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 9, 2024