War in Syria: Jihadists take control over important areas!

War in Syria: Jihadists take control over important areas!

Aleppo, Syrien - The civil war in Syria, which is called "forgotten war", is currently experiencing a dangerous turn. After jihadists around the Islamist militia Hajat Tahrir al-Scham (HTS) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) associated with Turkey conquered several towns in a short time, the control of Bashar al-Assad and its allies-Russia, Iran and Hisbollah-is in serious danger. According to Krone , over half a million people have already died in this conflict, more than seven million were expelled.

The political structures in the country have broken. Experts like Destan Jasim from the Giga Institute describe the situation for the Assad regime as "very, very dangerous". A few days ago the fronts seemed frozen, but the HTS was able to bring large parts of the province of Aleppo and other areas under their control. This leads to speculation about a possible internal coup against Assad, whose military and political dependencies are becoming increasingly obvious. Assad was dependent on the support of his allies, which, however, promote their own national interests, so that the military possibilities of Russia are severely restricted in Syria, reports Zeit .

The role of allies

Despite the wreckage of his regime, Assad was still able to rely on the support of Hisbollah and Iran. However, Jasim emphasizes that some of these allies are significantly weakened - their resources are limited and the location is becoming more and more confused. In addition, there is a broad rejection of Iranian presence in Syria, which further complicates the already ailing situation for the Assad regime. The changes in the regional power structure, in particular the reactions after the conflict between Israel and Hamas, have further impaired the stability in the region.

Here, the strategy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which strengthens the anti-assadic militias, especially the SNA, and tries to exploit the existing rivalry between the groups. The aim is to prevent a Kurdish state and instead create an Islamist reserve. These dynamics can heat the refugee crisis again because Turkey tries to send their refugees back to Syria, which could also be in the interest of European countries.