Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 185 Everyone Will Face Their Own Ending (Part 4)

Lieutenant General Yukustov strode into the city hall building and headed straight for the office of Avi Katsav, the Prime Minister of Damascus.

But when he pushed open the heavy oak door, he saw Prime Minister Katsav frantically stuffing documents into his briefcase, his suitcase lying wide open on the carpet.

"What are you doing?" Lieutenant General Yukustov frowned.

Katsav looked up and saw the lieutenant general, so startled that he almost dropped the photo frame in his hand, but he quickly recovered and replied, "As you can see, I'm just about to move to a different office location."

"Where to go instead?"

Haifa.

"So you're just planning to run away?!" Lieutenant General Yukustov raised his voice incredulously.

Katsav stared into the lieutenant general's eyes, his usually meticulously styled hair plastered to his forehead, and said earnestly, "But you know, that Amir is about to attack! He's bringing his Holy Army, claiming he'll liberate Damascus, and he'll execute us all. I heard he eats the pancreas of several Zionians in one meal!"

Where did you hear these ridiculous rumors?

Leaving aside the rumor that Amir ate Zionians, the so-called Holy Army is also completely fabricated. Lieutenant General Yukustov looked displeased. "As the highest-ranking political prime minister of Zion in Damascus, is this how you respond to Jehovah's trust in you? Even Benjamin was more responsible than you!"

Katsav scoffed, "Benjamin? He's nothing but a madman blinded by ideals! He's cut from the same cloth as Hilbert, and he'll only drag us all down to hell!"

Seeing that Katsav was determined to leave, Yukustov decisively drew the pistol from his waist.

Seeing this, Katsav sneered, "What, are you going to shoot me?"

“No,” Lieutenant General Yukustov denied. “I won’t do that. It would only make the enemy think we’re fighting amongst ourselves. I don’t want that bunch of Arabs to laugh at us. But I will hand you over to that madman you’re talking about—Benjamin—and let him decide what to do with you.”

These words made Katsav stop.

He paused for a moment, then his tone turned serious: "Listen, I'm not a coward. I just don't want to be a scapegoat for those bastards in Tel Aviv. The real cowards are them! The Golan Heights have been lost for ten days, but has Tel Aviv given us any support? No! They abandoned us long ago!"

Think about how many Arabs are in Damascus—nine hundred thousand, a million? And what have we done to them? You and I both know perfectly well. When that Amir brings his army in, even if he doesn't eat people, these Arabs will still devour us alive!

Yukustov saw the frustration and despair in Katsav's eyes.

That was the instinctive fear of revenge that came from someone who knew he was deeply guilty.

Every Zionist in this city is guilty.

“I understand how you feel,” the lieutenant general said after a long silence, “but you can’t leave.”

“Of course,” Katsav sighed, “it’s better to wait to die than to fall into the hands of the General Staff’s reconnaissance team.”

"I plan to release some Arabs out of the city to reduce the proportion of the population in the city."

Upon hearing this, Katsav narrowed his eyes slightly: "Wait a minute, are you planning to make peace with the Arabs?"

“I didn’t say that, but it does benefit us.”

The lieutenant general explained, “These Arabs would require too much manpower and resources to manage the city, and they are also consuming the city’s food at an alarming rate. Even if we needed hostages, we wouldn’t need that many. Rather than consuming our resources, we should let them consume the Arabs.”

Katsav nodded thoughtfully: "That is indeed a solution."

Releasing some hostages would not only ease tensions between the two sides but also reduce the antagonism within the city. Furthermore, it would provide a basis for future peace talks or exchanges.

“It seems we’ve reached an agreement.” Lieutenant General Yukustov put away his sidearm, turned and left, leaving Katsav looking at the luggage he had just packed up on the floor.

He sighed again and placed the photo frame back on the table.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Quneitra, the frontline command of the Arab Allied Forces.

About four or five days ago, large numbers of peacekeeping troops wearing blue berets and white vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross began to move into several military strongholds, including Duma and Daraya, which were controlled by the Duma forces.

Trucks loaded with food, medicine and tents lined up in long queues, forming a green channel to await refugees evacuated from Damascus.

Inside the temporary command post, Lu Lin met with the UN special envoy, Jan Elandsen, a diplomat from South Scandinavia.

"General Amir."

Envoy Elandson spoke sincerely: "Please allow me, on behalf of the international community, to express my heartfelt respect to you. Your choice has averted an immeasurable humanitarian catastrophe. Although you are younger than any president I have ever met, the wisdom and restraint you have displayed are those of a true statesman." The United Nations needs all member states to respect the international law they have established, not to treat it like toilet paper, as Zion did.

Lu Lin's humanitarian approach not only demonstrated respect for the United Nations but also saved hundreds of thousands of innocent Arab people from suffering, earning him widespread praise from countries such as Seres in the international arena.

Few can maintain restraint when facing enemies or fighting in other countries; Zion's actions are comparable to those of a beast.

"You flatter me, Mr. Special Envoy."

Lu Lin shook hands with the special envoy, saying, "I simply made the choice that anyone with a basic conscience would have made—putting life first."

Elanderson sighed. "If only the leader of Zion could be like you."

"Unfortunately, that's impossible."

Lu Lin shattered Elandson's illusions, stating firmly: "Hundreds of years of religious conflict, decades of land encroachment, rivers of blood, and deep-rooted mutual hatred. This is a contradiction that cannot be resolved in any form. There is no peaceful coexistence between the Arabs and Zion, only a temporary ceasefire and permanent confrontation, until one side falls completely."

Elandson seemed taken aback by these sharp words. He remained silent for a moment, then probed indirectly, "Well, General, I actually have another question. What kind of great achievement do you ultimately want to accomplish?"

“I think I have explained this many times before,” Lu Lin replied. “The goal of the Arab allies is to liberate all the lands that have been occupied by Zion’s forces, to liberate our compatriots who are suffering under oppression, and to let them return to their homes.”

"Is that all?" Elandson looked at Lu Lin and pressed for an answer.

Lu Lin gave a meaningful smile, neither confirming nor denying.

Just then, Ibrahim strode into the reception room and nodded slightly to Lu Lin.

Lu Lin understood and immediately apologized to the special envoy: "I'm very sorry, special envoy, there is an urgent military situation that I need to deal with immediately."

"The war is the priority, General, please proceed." Elandson quickly expressed his understanding.

Upon returning to the internal command center, Ibrahim reported: "News has just come from the country that His Highness Prince Mohammed was assassinated. The assassin used a telephone bomb, but fortunately, the Prince's secretary answered the phone in his place... The secretary was killed on the spot, and His Highness suffered only minor injuries."

A phone bomb?

This signature assassination method immediately reminded Lu Lin that it was the work of Mossad.

It seems Tel Aviv has become desperate and has started targeting important high-ranking figures in Arab countries.

However, this also served as a reminder to Lu Lin that at this critical juncture, Prince Muhammad absolutely could not be allowed to get into trouble.

As the current core of the Sudri faction and the most important logistical supporter of the Allies, if something were to happen to Prince Muhammad, not only would the front lines collapse, but the country would also be plunged into a vortex of internal division.

"How about sending a unit back to the country to specifically protect the prince's safety?" Lu Lin pondered.

This is indeed a feasible method, but given the complex factional power dynamics within the country, the person leading the team is very sensitive. They need to be exceptionally capable, have the unconditional trust of both the leader and the prince, and ideally, possess royal blood.
At this moment, Ibrahim continued to report another piece of news: "There is also new progress in Damascus. According to reports from the front-line troops, the garrison of Zion has begun to release residents in the city in batches."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Lu Lin's eyes lit up immediately.

Ibrahim knew what he wanted to ask and added directly: "But from initial contact, most of these released civilians, having long been subjected to Zion's reign of terror, are unable to provide valuable intelligence on city defenses, troop strength, or other relevant information."

Of course, the possibility of guerrillas cannot be ruled out, but conversely, there's also the possibility that Zion's spies have infiltrated among these civilians. It will take time to identify them.

“But then again,” Ibrahim laughed, “the fact that you released the civilians shows that your strategy is working, and the Zionians are under a lot of pressure now.”

They had originally estimated that it would take several weeks before Zion would release the hostages, but now it had happened much earlier than expected.

"This is indeed a good thing."

Lu Lin nodded: "The fact that they are willing to release the people shows that Lieutenant General Yukustov, who is guarding the city, is not the kind of madman who is blinded by populism and wants to drag the whole city down with him. Whether he wants to leave room for subsequent negotiations or simply wants to reduce his burden, this is a positive sign."

He immediately ordered: "Contact Commander Hafez in Surya at once and ask him to take charge of receiving and resettling these people. At the same time, continue to put pressure on Damascus to release more civilians."

“What if they offer to exchange civilians for water, food, or medicine?” Ibrahim asked.

"That is impossible."

Lu Lin's eyes were resolute: "This is not a transaction. We will not provide Zionists with a single drop of water or a single grain of food, nor will we accept any form of kidnapping."

They released the people because of their own needs, not because of our compromise.

(End of this chapter)