As early as 1810 Mehmed Ali showed his interest in the neighboring province and his willingness to interfere in its internal affairs, as well as his ability to influence developments there to suit his interests. Capitalizing on the enmity between Süleyman Pasha, the vali of Sidon, and Yusuf Genç Pasha, the vali of Damascus, Mehmed Ali decided to side with the latter and mediated with the Sublime Porte to reinstate him in his pashalɩks. He wrote various letters to the Sublime Porte and to his agent in Istanbul, Najib Efendi, insinuating that he would not dispatch his almost ready campaign to the Hijaz unless Yusuf Genç were reinstated in his post, and adding that he was insisting on this demand "not out of personal reasons but to facilitate the Hijaz affair." Mehmed Ali finally succeeded in his demands and his friend was pardoned although he was not reappointed to his pashalɩks. He spent the last six years of his life in Egypt.

XREF: Builds on the earlier claim that the Hijaz campaign served multiple hidden aims beyond suppressing Wahhabis (loc 192). This shows he also used it as bargaining leverage for Syrian ambitions. Builds on: "The Hijaz campaign served multiple hidden aims beyond suppressing Wahhabis."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 209