Syria

While apparently nobody has been watching or paying much attention to it, islamists related rebels have now taken control of the largest city Aleppo..

what's next for Syria?

This really shows how weak Iran and Russia have become when they cannot keep Assad in power anymore. Curious who is funding the rebels now

Opinion: The surprise Syrian rebel offensive could be a Mideast turning point

The Middle East is no stranger to upheaval, but the recent surprise rebel offensive in Syria against Bashar al-Assad’s regime has sent shockwaves through the region.

The latest developments, while initially appearing as just one more chapter in Syria’s protracted civil war, could have profound consequences far beyond Damascus. By challenging not only the Assad regime but also the interests of Iran and Russia, the rebels’ gains — they just seized most of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city —could reshape the regional balance of power in ways directly affecting the U.S. These shifts, in turn, may create a unique opportunity for Washington to pursue a grand strategy of restraint.
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However, the latest rebel offensive suggests that this arrangement is no longer as secure as it once seemed. Rebel factions, long fragmented and weakened, have found renewed strength, coordination and perhaps external backing to launch a campaign that threatens Assad’s hold on key territories.

If successful, the implications of this offensive are staggering. First, the fall of Assad’s regime would strike a devastating blow to Iran’s influence in the region. Tehran has invested heavily in Syria, seeing Assad as a linchpin in its so-called “axis of resistance” stretching from Iran through Iraq and Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Losing this crucial ally would disrupt Iran’s supply lines, diminish its capacity to project power into the Levant and undermine its broader regional ambitions. In many ways, such a development would mirror the setbacks Iran has already faced at the hands of Israel. Just as Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah has constrained Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, the collapse of Assad would further blunt Tehran’s aspirations for dominance.

 

what makes you think america is backing this group?

 

nope, read it in a different article. I have no idea who is sponsoring them, hence the question

this is a name I keep seeing..edited OP

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) | Terrorism Backgrounders | CSIS

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS or the “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant”) traces its beginnings to the outset of the Syrian civil war and has remained a dangerous opposition force throughout the duration of the conflict. In May 2018, the group was added to the State Department’s existing designation of its predecessor, the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Today, HTS can be thought of as a relatively localized Syrian terrorist organization, which retains a Salafi-jihadist ideology despite its public split from al-Qaeda in 2017. This backgrounder provides an overview of the history, leadership, and current strategic goals of HTS.

Formation and Relationship with al-Qaeda
As mentioned above, Jabhat al-Nusra, HTS’s precursor organization, was formed in Syria in 2011 as al-Qaeda’s affiliate within the opposition to the Assad regime. Nusra’s leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, quickly established a capable organization, which secured its own donors in the Persian Gulf, collected revenue from taxation and asset seizures in the territories under its control, became adept at conducting insurgent attacks, and attracted a growing number of fighters.[1] Jabhat al-Nusra maintained its ties to al-Qaeda even after al-Qaeda’s highly publicized split with the Islamic State, whose leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had been instrumental in Jabhat al-Nusra’s initial establishment. In late July 2016, however, al-Jolani announced the dissolution of Jabhat al-Nusra and the establishment of a new group, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. The group no longer had “external ties” with al-Qaeda, which many analysts suggested was an indication that while al-Jolani had formally severed its public relationship with al-Qaeda, the group would, in theory, continue to have a secret relationship with al-Qaeda and receive strategic and operational guidance.[2] However, al-Jolani’s announcement was undertaken without consulting Ayman al-Zawahiri, the emir of al-Qaeda, and created significant tension within the organization.[3]

 

Damascus and the Assad clan getting nervous. looks like Iraqi groups are coming to help Assad

Russian retreat from Syria: Chaos grips Damascus

"The military contingent of the aggressor state, Russia, fled from Hama and evacuated to the Humaymim base. The commander of the Russian coordination staff, Gen. Aleksandr Zhuravlev, admitted that the situation had gotten out of hand for the Assad regime," Ukrainian intelligence reported on Monday.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, the first armed riots have started in Damascus. Russian military personnel and diplomats have begun hastily and urgently leaving the capital of Syria. "The Syrian defeat. Russians also left the military base in the city of Khan Shaykhun, leaving a significant amount of weapons and military equipment there," reads the communication from the Ukrainian military intelligence, HUR.
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Over the last 48 hours, the situation in Syria has significantly deteriorated. Rebel forces, including the Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have taken control of most of Aleppo, the second-largest city in the country, and have begun an offensive toward Hama province.

In response to these actions, the Syrian army, supported by Russian air forces, launched counterattacks, conducting air raids on rebel positions. These attacks have resulted in numerous civilian casualties. On Monday, Reuters reported that pro-Iranian Iraqi armed groups crossed the border into Syria last night to support government forces. The fighters are headed to areas where battles are taking place between rebels and Bashar al-Assad regime troops.

 

obama's legacy, the muslim invasion of Europe...