What is going on in Syria and why now?

The Assad household has dominated Syria for greater than 50 years with an iron fist. Now all this has come to an finish.

Bashar al-Assad grew to become president after the dying in 2000 of his father Hafez, who had dominated for practically three many years.

In 2011, he brutally put down a peaceable pro-democracy rebellion, sparking a devastating civil struggle by which greater than half one million individuals have been killed and one other 12 million pressured to flee their properties.

Twelve days in the past, the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied insurgent factions launched a serious offensive in northwestern Syria.

The rebels shortly captured the nation’s second-largest metropolis, Aleppo, then moved south alongside the freeway to the capital, Damascus, as the military collapsed.

Russia introduced that Assad had resigned and left Syria on Sunday, hours after rebels entered Damascus and crowds gathered within the streets to have fun, though his whereabouts weren’t identified.

HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani then arrived in Damascus and informed the Syrians: “The future is ours.”

For the previous 4 years it appeared as if the civil struggle was successfully over.

Assad’s authorities had regained management over most Syrian cities with the assistance of Russia, Iran and Iranian-backed militias resembling Hezbollah, and the entrance strains have been largely frozen.

However, a lot of the nation was nonetheless exterior authorities management.

The rebels’ final stronghold was within the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, on the border with Turkey, the place greater than 4 million individuals lived, lots of them displaced. It was dominated by HTS, however quite a few insurgent teams and allied jihadist teams have been additionally primarily based there. Turkish-backed insurgent factions additionally managed the territory with the assist of Turkish troops.

On November 27, HTS and its allies launched their shock offensive.

After three days they took management of a lot of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest metropolis. They mentioned they encountered little resistance on the bottom after the federal government shortly withdrew its troops and safety forces.

Meanwhile, Turkish-backed insurgent factions have taken benefit of the federal government’s retreat by launching a separate offensive on territory north of Aleppo managed by a US-backed alliance of Kurdish-led militias, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Assad vowed to “crush” the rebels with the assistance of his allies. Russian warplanes have stepped up assaults on rebel-held areas and Iranian-backed militias have despatched reinforcements to assist the navy close to Hama, the southernmost metropolis on the highway to Damascus.

But Hama fell to rebels on Thursday, after a number of days of fierce battles that finally pressured the navy to retreat.

The rebels mentioned their subsequent goal was to seize Homs, Syria’s third-largest metropolis, they usually succeeded on Saturday night after only a day of preventing. At the identical time, different established insurgent factions have reached the outskirts of Damascus.

Early Sunday morning, rebels led by HTS introduced that they had entered Damascus and launched detainees the most famous military prison in the country, Saydnaya.

Less than two hours later they declared: “The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled.”

Activists and military officers mentioned the president had left Damascus on a airplane sure for an unknown location.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali in the meantime introduced in a video that he was “able to collaborate” with any management “chosen by the Syrian individuals”.

Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani ordered his forces to not strategy official establishments, saying they might stay beneath the prime minister’s authority till they have been “formally” handed over.

The rebels additionally promised to construct a “homeland for all, together with all sects and social courses.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that not less than 910 individuals have been killed, together with 138 civilians, because the insurgent offensive started.

The Islamic militant group that spearheaded the offensive in opposition to Assad was based in 2012 beneath a distinct identify, al-Nusra Front.

The Al-Nusra Front, which pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda the next yr, was thought of probably the most efficient and deadly teams within the struggle in opposition to President Assad.

But he was feared for his jihadist ideology and was seen as at odds with the primary, largely secular insurgent coalition: the Free Syrian Army.

In 2016, Al-Nusra broke ties with al-Qaeda and took the identify Hayat Tahrir al-Sham when it merged with different factions a yr later.

However, the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and quite a few different nations proceed to view HTS as an al-Qaeda affiliate and sometimes check with it because the al-Nusra Front. The United States has named Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani a specifically designated world terrorist and supplied a $10 million reward for info resulting in his seize.

HTS consolidated its energy in Idlib and Aleppo provinces by crushing its rivals, together with cells of the Al-Qaeda group and the Islamic State (IS). He established the so-called Syrian Salvation Government to manage the territory in line with Islamic regulation.

For a number of years, Idlib remained a battlefield as Syrian authorities forces tried to regain management.

But in 2020, Türkiye and Russia have brokered a ceasefire to cease the federal government’s push to retake Idlib. The ceasefire was largely maintained regardless of sporadic preventing.

HTS and its allies mentioned this on November 27 they had launched an offensive to “deter aggression”accusing the federal government and allied Iran-backed militias of escalating assaults in opposition to civilians.

But it got here at a time when the federal government had been weakened by years of struggle, sanctions and corruption – with allies Russia and Iran apprehensive about extra conflicts.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group has lately suffered from Israel’s offensive in Lebanon. Israeli strikes had eradicated Iranian navy commanders in Syria, and Russia was distracted by the struggle in Ukraine.

Without them, Assad’s forces would have remained uncovered.

Russia mentioned it was “following the dramatic occasions in Syria with excessive concern.” The Foreign Ministry known as on “all events concerned” within the Syrian battle to “resign the usage of violence and resolve all governance points by political means”. It additionally states that Russian navy bases in Syria are “on excessive alert”, though there’s “no severe menace to their safety”.

Iran expressed hope for “the speedy finish of navy conflicts, the prevention of terrorist actions and the start of nationwide dialogue” with all elements of Syrian society.

Turkey mentioned Syria is now at a stage “the place the Syrian individuals will form the way forward for their nation.” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan mentioned the brand new authorities “have to be established in an orderly method” and warned that “the precept of inclusiveness must not ever be compromised.”

Israel’s prime minister mentioned the collapse of Assad’s authorities was the “direct outcome” of his nation’s motion in opposition to Hezbollah and Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu additionally introduced that he had ordered the Israeli military to “briefly take over” the Syrian military’s positions within the demilitarized zone of the Golan Heights, saying that the 1974 ceasefire settlement between the 2 nations had “collapsed” as a result of the Syrian troops had deserted their positions.

The White House mentioned US President Joe Biden and his group are “intently monitoring the extraordinary occasions in Syria and remaining in fixed contact with regional companions”.

Iraq, the place highly effective Iranian-backed militias have despatched fighters to assist the Syrian military within the civil struggle, mentioned it helps efforts to open a dialogue in Syria “resulting in the adoption of a pluralistic structure that preserves rights human and civilian lives of the Syrians.”

Jordanian King Abdullah, who had supported insurgent factions firstly of the struggle, mentioned he revered the need and decisions of the Syrian individuals. He harassed the significance of imposing stability and avoiding “any battle that might result in chaos.”

European Union overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas known as Assad’s fall “a optimistic and long-overdue improvement” and mentioned the bloc’s precedence was making certain safety within the area.