Syria is again embroiled in civil war. Here rebel groups have waged a war against President Bashar al-Assad. This is the biggest attack since 2016. Last week, the radical organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other groups turned to the cities of Aleppo, Idlib and Hama, increasing the conflict. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the violent confrontation, thousands have been forced to be displaced and important infrastructure has been damaged.
The impact of the ongoing conflict in Syria is also beyond its borders, including other external parties including the US, Israel, Iran and Turkey. Syrian President Assad has blamed the US and other Western countries for the rebels’ attack. The new conflict has raised the possibility of another violent front opening in West Asia, that too at a time when US-backed Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The radical group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham surprised the Syrian government with a sudden and successful offensive last week. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS has long been considered the country’s strongest rebel group. These rebels suddenly attacked from the areas north and north-west of Aleppo on 26 November. On 29-30 November, they entered the city and drove the army out of there. Now thousands of HTS fighters have captured Aleppo, a major city. Along with this, a strategic highway has been cut off and Bashar al-Assad’s army has been forced to retreat from a part of the country. This confrontation has started a new phase in the 13-year-long civil war in the country, which many people believed was over.
This is the first time since 2016 that the control of the city of Aleppo has been snatched from the government. Eight years ago, Russian and Iran-backed military forces drove out the rebels who had captured the eastern districts of Aleppo. The rebels now continue to control areas south and southwest of Aleppo and have also captured areas in Hama province.
The recent attack reflects the growing seriousness of the conflict over the years. The war, which began with the Arab Spring uprising against the Assad government in 2011, has killed about five lakh people. The civil war has forced about 68 lakh people from their homes in a country with a population of 23 million and millions have become refugees abroad.
Tahrir al-Sham was formerly known as Jabhat Nusra Front. Actually, HTS was created by al-Qaeda so that it could take advantage of the situation here after the end of the Syrian civil war. It soon succeeded in its objective and carried out rebel attacks as well as suicide bombings against the army and other enemies. However, the group gradually became a staunch enemy of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and eventually separated from al-Qaeda in 2016. The US, Russia, Turkey and other countries have declared Tahrir al-Sham a terrorist group. Another rebel coalition has launched a separate attack from the northern areas of Aleppo. These rebels are supported by Turkey and are organized under the banner of the Syrian National Army.
However, the regional power balance has been shaken by the conflict that has been going on for more than a year between Israel and Iran and the groups it supports. Iran-backed Hezbollah has suffered a particularly big blow during the more than two-month war with Israel in Lebanon. Hezbollah, which signed a ceasefire with Israel last week, helped Assad capture Aleppo in 2016.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said it was not surprising that the rebels would try to take advantage of the new situation. Citing regional conflicts and the Ukraine war, he said that this is because the main supporters of the Syrian government, Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, have been weakened by the conflicts.
