Over a few days, rebel fighters in northern Syria have launched incursions into several major cities with little resistance from government troops.
Syrian opposition fighters stand atop a captured Syrian army tank in the town of Maarat al-Numan, southwest from Aleppo, Syria, Saturday.
as well as its airstrikes on Hezbollah-linked targets inside Syria itself. The militant group's decline has highlighted the limitations of Assad's forces, according to Robert Ford, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria who was first posted there just months before the civil war began in 2011. Russia has also been transferring weaponry and personnel away from Syria, directing some of those resources instead to the war in Ukraine.
For some time, Turkey seemed to have prohibited HTS, as a recipient of their support, from launching this kind of attack on government territory, says Dareen Khalifa, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group who focuses her research and advocacy work on peacemaking. But, she adds, the Turks may recently have gone through a change of heart given the regional changes.
"The combination of sheer dependence on a weakened Iran and rampant corruption within Syrian army ranks have meant the Syrian army has very little capacity to hold ground," says Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at the Middle East and North African program at British think tank Chatham House."The regime had taken for granted that it had basically won the war, and had become complacent.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Syrian insurgents breach Aleppo after detonating two car bombs, monitoring group and reports sayDaniel Arkin is a national reporter at NBC News.
Read more »
As Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, army closes airport and roads, sources saySyrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, three military sources told Reuters.
Read more »
Syrian troops in Aleppo backed by warplanes battle a shock offensive by rebelsSyria state media say government troops are battling insurgents inside the country’s largest city Aleppo for the first time since 2016. A pro-government newspaper says warplanes targeted rebel supply lines on the city’s edge Saturday.
Read more »
Syrian troops in Aleppo backed by warplanes battle a shock offensive by rebelsSyria state media say government troops are battling insurgents inside the country’s largest city Aleppo for the first time since 2016.
Read more »
Syrian troops in Aleppo backed by warplanes battle a shock offensive by rebelsSyria state media say government troops are battling insurgents inside the country’s largest city Aleppo for the first time since 2016.
Read more »
Syrian rebels take control of most of Aleppo citySyrian opposition forces have taken control of the majority of the country’s second largest city Aleppo, according to video verified by CNN and residents in the city.
Read more »