Today’s news round on Syria highlights the rapid escalation of conflict and its far-reaching implications. Rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkish-backed factions, have seized Aleppo in a major offensive, marking the most significant challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years. The fighting has spread to key areas like Hama, with intense clashes between government troops and insurgents, supported by foreign powers on both sides. The United States and Russia are also actively engaged, with Centcom destroying weapons threatening U.S. forces in eastern Syria, while Moscow accuses “external forces” of fueling violence. Analysts warn of broader geopolitical repercussions as Syria’s civil war shifts from stalemate to intensified proxy battles, underscoring the need for a strategic international response to address the deepening crisis.
Syria’s insurgency leader tours seized city of Aleppo, as fierce battles intensify near Hama
AP reported that the leader of Syria’s most powerful insurgent group Wednesday toured the seized city of Aleppo in a surprise visit, for the first time since the group captured large parts of the city last weekend, as fierce fighting intensifies in the government-led counter-offensive in northern Hama.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who heads jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, greeted crowds of supporters near the city’s iconic citadel as he smiled and waved in dark green military garb. Surrounded by masked gunmen in flak jackets, men and boys chanted “God is great” as he walked through the heart of Syria’s largest city.
The latest flareup in Syria’s long civil war comes after forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad ousted his troops from Aleppo, the country’s largest, as well as seized towns and villages in southern parts of the northwestern Idlib province.
The offensive is being led by HTS as well as an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. For years, both have entrenched themselves in northwest Idlib province and parts of northern Aleppo, as the battered country reeled from years of political and military stalemates.
Syrian government forces and rebels battle outside key city of Hama
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are reportedly engaged in fierce battles with rebels on the outskirts of the major city of Hama, BBC reported.
A monitoring group said on Tuesday evening that the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies were “at the gates of Hama”, but on Wednesday it said the military had retaken several villages in a counter-attack backed by intense air strikes.
Syrian state media also said troops had pushed back the rebels north of the city, but the rebels denied losing any ground there.
Hama is 110km (70 miles) south of Aleppo, which the rebels captured last week after launching a surprise offensive from their stronghold in the north-west.
The state-run Sana news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, both reported intense fighting on Wednesday morning around Jabal Zain al-Abadin, a hill about 5km (3 miles) north-east of Hama.
The SOHR said the clashes came after government forces launched a counter-attack, during which they were able to push the rebels back almost 10km from the city and recapture two villages near the hill.
A spokesman for the rebel’s “Military Operations Division” accused the military of spreading rumours to raise the morale of its troops and insisted rebels were still in control of all locations they had recently taken.
An affiliated news channel meanwhile said that five more villages east of Hama had been captured, as well as a base of the 25th Special Mission Forces Division.
President Assad has vowed to “crush” the rebels and accused Western powers of trying to redraw the map of the region, while his key allies Russia and Iran have offered their “unconditional support”.
Russian warplanes have intensified their strikes on rebel-held areas in recent days, Iran-backed militias have sent fighters to reinforce the government’s defensive lines around Hama, and Iran has said it is ready to send additional forces to Syria if asked.
Aleppo’s sudden fall reveals stark realities in Syria
Max Boot from The Washington Post discusses the shifting dynamics of the Syrian civil war in light of recent developments, highlighting the U.S. stakes in Syria.
The Syrian civil war, ongoing since 2011, has resulted in immense human suffering, with roughly half a million deaths and widespread displacement. A 2020 ceasefire temporarily reduced combat, leaving Bashar al-Assad in control of major cities with backing from Russia and Iran. However, recent events—namely the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) capturing Aleppo—signal a dramatic change. Assad’s forces are struggling to contain this new offensive, revealing vulnerabilities among his foreign backers, including a war-weakened Russia, embattled Hezbollah, and economically strained Iran.
HTS, though a U.S.-designated terrorist group, has shifted its focus in recent years and garnered support from Turkey, aligning with the Syrian National Army in its efforts. Analysts suggest HTS may now pose a preferable alternative to Assad, whose regime is responsible for extensive war crimes, including the use of chemical weapons.
The Biden administration faces a complex policy crossroads. While there is little appetite for deep U.S. involvement, maintaining sanctions and avoiding the normalization of Assad’s regime remain priorities. Experts recommend supporting a Turkish-mediated ceasefire to stabilize Aleppo and potentially encourage refugee repatriation. The op-ed concludes that Assad’s continued rule perpetuates conflict and war crimes, and while the U.S. cannot topple him, it must not enable his regime.
Why Did Syria’s Civil War Reignite?
The New York Times published a report trying to explain why Syria’s Civil War Reignited. Syria’s civil war, which had been in a prolonged stalemate, has reignited as opposition forces launched a significant offensive in Aleppo Province. Within days, rebels, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkish-backed groups, captured most of Aleppo city and parts of Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo provinces. This marks the most substantial challenge to Bashar al-Assad’s government in years.
The rebels aim to halt Syrian government attacks and counter Iranian-backed militias. Assad’s forces, supported by Russian airstrikes, are mobilizing reinforcements to repel the advance. The recent clashes have resulted in over 300 combatant and 100 civilian deaths, according to monitoring groups.
This resurgence highlights Syria’s status as a proxy battlefield. While Assad controls 60% of Syria, including major cities, rebel groups dominate the northwest, and Kurdish-led forces backed by the U.S. hold the northeast. The offensive also intersects with regional tensions, with Israel escalating airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Syria amidst broader Middle Eastern conflicts.
The renewed fighting underscores the enduring complexity of Syria’s conflict, involving overlapping domestic, regional, and international rivalries.
Syria’s Recent Escalation: An Urgent Need for Active and Effective U.S. Role
JustSecurity.org, an online forum for the rigorous analysis of security, democracy, foreign policy, and rights, has published an in-depth analysis on how the recent rebel offensive in Syria has exposed the Assad regime’s vulnerability, highlighted the failure of international and U.S. strategies to resolve the conflict, and emphasized the need for a proactive, incremental U.S. approach to achieving political transition in Syria to counter Iran, combat extremism, and disrupt narcotics networks.
The report says that the recent rebel offensive in Syria, named “Deterring Aggression,” has dramatically shifted the dynamics of the prolonged conflict. Led by Turkish-backed factions and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), this operation has reclaimed significant territories, including parts of Aleppo previously under regime control. The offensive underscores the fragility of Bashar al-Assad’s government and has sparked debates about HTS’s evolving strategy and the implications of its involvement.
The escalation highlights the failure of international efforts, including U.N. initiatives and the Astana process, to resolve Syria’s conflict. It also emphasizes the absence of a cohesive U.S. strategy, which has marginalized Syria in favor of broader geopolitical considerations. The author argues that the incoming U.S. administration must prioritize Syria for three strategic reasons:
Countering Iran: Weakening Assad diminishes Iran’s influence in Syria, a critical link in its regional power network.
Combating Extremism: Stability is necessary to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State and other extremist groups.
Disrupting Narcotics Networks: Addressing Syria’s role in the Captagon trade undermines revenue streams for hostile actors like Hezbollah and reduces the risk of drugs entering the U.S.The author proposes a pragmatic, incremental U.S. approach to achieving political transition, including prioritizing accountability, procedural constitutional reform, and specific measures such as securing the release of political detainees. This strategy, tied to clear timelines, aims to establish a legitimate political process, counter proxy influences, and stabilize Syria while aligning with U.S. strategic interests.
Centcom Destroys Threatening Weapons Systems in Syria
U.S. Central Command said it had successfully engaged and destroyed several weapon systems that posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces in Syria, the Defense Department announced.
The weapons destroyed — which included three truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers, a T-64 tank and multiple mortars — presented a “clear and imminent threat” to U.S. and coalition forces in the vicinity of eastern Syria’s Mission Support Site Euphrates, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told the media this afternoon.
“The self-defense strike occurred after the mobile multiple rocket launchers fired rockets that landed in the vicinity of MSS Euphrates, and mortars were fired toward U.S. forces,” Ryder said.
He added that, while DOD is still assessing who was operating the weapons, Iranian-backed militia groups are operating in the region that have attacked MSS Euphrates in the past.
This morning’s incident was the second time in less than a week that Centcom forces were used to neutralize a hostile threat in the region.
Moscow claims ‘external forces’ seeking to escalate violence in Syria
Moscow has condemned “external forces” seeking to escalate violence in Syria, despite reports from Ukrainian military intelligence that Russia is to send mercenaries to support flagging troops allied to Damascus, The Gurdian reported.
The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova blamed outside actors for instigating a recent sweeping insurgent offensive, after Islamist militants spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took control of the city of Aleppo at the weekend in a shock advance.
Zakharova emphasized Moscow’s support for a counter-attack by Damascus, despite reports that Russia has begun removing ships from its naval base in Tartus. Militia forces spearheaded by HTS are engaged in fierce confrontations with Syrian army forces 50 miles away outside the provincial capital of Hama.
The ministry of defense in Damascus said major reinforcements had been dispatched to Hama city to bolster troops on the frontlines, while insurgents claimed increasing control of towns in the Hama countryside north-west of the city as a second front pushed sound towards Hama.
Fighting also continued in eastern Syria, where forces loyal to Damascus supported by Iranian and Iran-backed militias are fighting Arab-majority rebel militias from the city of Deir Ezzour. The Pentagon said it destroyed rocket launchers, a tank and mortars that presented a “clear and imminent threat” to US and supporting forces near the Euphrates river, the second such pre-emptive strike in the area in under a week.
The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has relied heavily on support from Moscow and Tehran as well as Iranian-backed Iraqi militias to keep control of the fractured country, which spiraled rapidly into a proxy-war following a popular uprising against his rule in 2011.