DAMASCUS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. bombardment of Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria could briefly benefit the Syrian army but may open the door for further complications in the long run, local analysts believe.
Officials in Damascus have long refused any plans to "encroach upon state sovereignty," but as American fighter jets soar over Syrian territory, striking the positions of the Islamic State and other militant groups, Damascus appears to have given its tacit approval of America's airstrike campaign.
Despite the Syrian government's criticism of the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State, observers believe the Syrian administration actually feels relieved if not vindicated to see the superpowers finally intervene in the conflict and condemn the Islamist rebel groups fighting in Syria.
Analysts also say the airstrikes could be a strategic advantage for the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against rebel groups.
"The first beneficiary of the U.S. airstrikes is the Syrian state because it's the powerful side on ground, which can push toward the militant-held areas once the U.S. strikes are done," Hmaidi Abdullah, a political researcher, told Xinhua.
"There are two sides that can move on ground. Either the Syrian troops or the Syrian opposition, and surely the Syrian army is the one capable of taking advantage of the strikes that are targeting the Islamic State," he noted.
But others see the situation as murky and complicated. President Obama has made it clear that he plans to arm and train the so-called "moderate" rebels in camps provided by Saudi Arabia, stressing he will not work with the Syrian government.
American officials stated that the international campaign against the Islamic State in northern and eastern Syria may last for at least one year; the same exact period of time the Americans said they would need to train moderate rebels before the latter move to battle the Islamic State as ground forces.
Meanwhile, opposition experts in Syria rejected the possibility that the airstrikes would benefit Syrian ground troops.
They say that the rebels who are being trained could enter the country under the fire cover of the American airstrikes to fight IS militants in their strongholds in northern and eastern Syria.
"The U.S. airstrikes may prevent the advancement of the Syrian troops in the targeted areas and hence the United States may work to facilitate the entry of the vetted armed opposition to take over Islamic State positions and that would be a new challenge for the Syrian troops," said Maher Murhej, the head of the opposition Youth Party.
For now, the American strikes seemed to be viewed as a useful step for the Syrian government in degrading the power of the radical militant groups who have wreaked havoc in Iraq and Syria after capturing considerable swathes of territories from both countries.
And though U.S. and Syrian administration have not openly declared cooperation, some pro-Syrian government media outlets have hinted at the possibility of indirect coordination.
If these reports are confirmed, Hussam Shuaib, a political analyst, told Xinhua that the real long-term benefit of the strikes for the Syrian government could be establishing "real cooperation" between Syria and the U.S.
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- War planes pounded Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria Monday night in an expansion of the U.S. air campaign against the terrorists, but air bombardments alone are no guarantee of the radicals' destruction, experts said.
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