(Credit: AFP/Illustration Jaime Haddad/L’Orient Today)
The disposition of armed forces in Syria has remained largely unchanged since late 2019. This period of relative stability followed a series of decisive events: the culmination of the Syrian government's counteroffensive, supported by Russian air power; the fall of Baghouz to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), marking the end of the Islamic State's territorial hold; and Operation “Source of Peace,” which saw Turkish and allied forces capture a swathe of territory from Kurdish forces in the north.The rapid rebel offensive, spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which began on Nov. 27 and culminated in the fall of President Bashar al-Assad at dawn on Dec. 8, dramatically shifted the dynamics of the Syrian conflict. Just 10 days earlier, regime forces controlled nearly 70 percent of Syrian territory, but by the time Assad...
The disposition of armed forces in Syria has remained largely unchanged since late 2019. This period of relative stability followed a series of decisive events: the culmination of the Syrian government's counteroffensive, supported by Russian air power; the fall of Baghouz to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), marking the end of the Islamic State's territorial hold; and Operation “Source of Peace,” which saw Turkish and allied forces capture a swathe of territory from Kurdish forces in the north.The rapid rebel offensive, spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which began on Nov. 27 and culminated in the fall of President Bashar al-Assad at dawn on Dec. 8, dramatically shifted the dynamics of the Syrian conflict. Just 10 days earlier, regime forces controlled nearly 70 percent of Syrian territory, but by the time...