Syrian militants toppled al-Assad family rule after holding capital
On Sunday, dramatic fall of Bashar al-Assad, Syrian President, was the culminating point of the power race between him and his opposite militants. The civil war resurfaced with recent attack on the city of Aleppo on 27th Nov 2024 by Hayat Tahriri al-Sham (HTS) from its base Idlib. The fall of Bashar Assad after 13 years of war in Syria brings to end a decade-long dynasty.
Assad came into power in 2000 after the death of his father who seized power in 1970. He held repressive political structure which let to uprising in 2011. This civil war consumed more than half a million people. Assad’s rule has been dogged by widespread accusations of atrocities especially during the Arab Spring times. With the help of his allies, Russia and Iran and Hezbollah, the curbed that civil revolt. Unfortunately, the things could not take the same path, and he had to wash of his hands from his years long rule. This ends five-decade long rule of Assad’s family and will reshape the regional dynamics.
Syria land has many fractions. Syrian governments forces, pro-government paramilitary group, held almost 65% of the country. Second major group is Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This Kurdish group controls part of eastern area Syria adjoining Türkiye. The clashes between SDF and Türkiye erupted to control border. Türkiye wants to drive the SDF near the border from more than 100 km East and areas the Euphrates River. The government opposite rebels belong to HTS, third major fraction. This group had pledges allegiance to al-Qaeda until it served the tie in 2016. This group was confined in the city of Idlib till Nov 2024.
On 27th Nov, they launched surprise offensive on the city of Aleppo and took charge of the second largest city of Syria. The major target was to occupy M5 motorway to ensure the route towards Damascus. The Turkish -backed group after occupying Hama and Homs landed in Damascus, ‘main target’ with full power show. They compelled Syrian president and forces to retreat and evacuate the country. “We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains,” the rebel said. Israeli PM Benjamin that Assad’s fall was a direct result of blows that Israel has dealt to Iran and its ally Hezbollah
In reality, this is a seismic moment for the Middle East. It serves the major below to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heart of the region _ they were distracted by other crises recently. However, the shift of power is still not fixed as the opposition forces are named a ‘terrorist’ group by the US and international communities. The daunting task is ahead for them to attain stable Syria. Moreover, this quick flip of power-coin still spinning in order to determine the relations among other fractions and global response. This raised concerns about a new wave of instability in a region already trapped in the series of turmoil.
