Daniel Rakov, a Russian political expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in X magazine that Russians were surprised by the rapid advance of rebels who took control of large parts of the country's second city, Aleppo, on Saturday. .
Russian state media has largely ignored the fighting in Syria, with authorities taking standard steps to minimize the scale of the fighting and spreading information that exaggerates Assad's ability to deal with the rebellion. added the analyst.
Rakov wrote that sources have said Ukraine has reportedly been sending aid to Syrian rebels in recent months, but it is difficult to determine the scale of this aid.
Offensive in Syria. Aleppo conflict is a threat to Russia
“Assad's loss of Aleppo damages Russia's image as a great power seeking to demonstrate its strength outside the post-Soviet region and threatens Putin's strategic resources and Russian military bases in Syria,” the expert said. The house said. He noted that the pace of the rebel offensive will force Russia to respond quickly.
The analyst said the Syrian regime, which is allied with Iran and Russia, will lose control of northern Syria, making it difficult to rebuild Hezbollah, which has supported President Bashar al-Assad. Shiite groups have been fighting Israel for a year, and the past two months have seen an all-out war. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in effect since Wednesday.
Syria. Islamic rebels step up offensive
Fighters from the Syrian organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and their allies launched an attack on government forces on Wednesday. Reports on Saturday said rebel forces had taken control of Aleppo and continued to advance, while heavy fighting continued between government forces and Islamic militants. Russian and Syrian air forces bombed Aleppo on Saturday.
Already more than 300 people have died in the fighting. The clashes are the most serious in Syria since 2020, when Russia and rebel-backed Turkiye reached a deal to end much of the fighting.
war in Syria. At least 500,000 people died
The Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, and the country was plunged into prolonged turmoil. In recent years, the Damascus regime has managed to regain control of large swaths of the country's territory, largely thanks to support from Russia and Iran. At least 500,000 people died in the conflict.
Aleppo, which had a pre-war population of more than 2 million people, was the site of some of the bloodiest fighting for many years. President Assad finally regained control of the city in 2016.
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