Bashar al-Assad Faces Rampaging Rebels in Tinderbox Syria

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Russian Warplanes Bomb Rebels in Captured Cities in Syria

By Raisina Correspondent

New Delhi, December 1: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is staring at most grave challenge to his power in decades with key cities falling to rebels. Russian warplanes are bombing rebel positions in Syria while the US and Israel are watching the implosion with hawk’s eyes.

“Rebel forces advanced in Syria on Sunday amid fierce fighting, capturing the airport of the major city of Aleppo and attacking the outskirts of the western city of Hama,” the New York Times said in a report, quoting local officials and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan expressed concerns at the turn of events in Syria. “The attack by armed groups in Syria is led by an organization classified as a terrorist organization in the United States,” said Sullivan in a statement. He added, “we are concerned about this organization; we are consulting with parties in the region about the best way to address the crisis in Syria.”

Iran-sympathetic media platforms said that “Idlib, occupied by foreign terrorists, Turkestan and Al-Nusra militants, is exposed to the most violent Russian-Syrian air wave”. Russia has stepped up military response to assist al-Assad to blunting the rapid advances of the rebels in the northern parts of the country. The Islamist rebels are said to be backed by Türkiye while also being alleged to be affiliated to ISIS.

“Sniping operations against terrorists by elements of the Syrian Arab Army are underway in areas dominated by the revels,” said local media reports. Al-Assad in a statement said that he will defeat terrorism in the country, regardless of its supporters and sponsors.

“Terrorism only understands the language of force, and that is the language we will use to crush and destroy it, regardless of who its supporters and sponsors are,” said al-Assad per SANA agency. Terrorists do not represent people or institutions, he added.

Amid growing threats to the regional peace, the Iraqi army also has taken positions on the border between Iraq and Syria, said local media reports. They have been asked to stop the rebel Islamists from trooping into Iraq.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also learnt to have held an emergency meeting with his key aides to take stock of the situations. The Islamist rebels rampaging through Syria could raise risks of attacks on Israel also, noted the Middle East observers.

Sensing that the US will also step up military response against the conflicts in Syria, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi in a statement said: “We hold Washington and its allies responsible if our consulate in Aleppo is damaged”. He asserted that Iran will respond through “international channels”.

“Israel/Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia are all interconnected. Shocks to one country can topple other dominos. What’s more, the world order is fraying during what is likely to be the most consequential US presidential transition since 1933,” said Timur Kuran, Professor in Duke University, on the Syrian conflict.

Reports also said that Christians of the Aleppo city in Syria fled to the Kurdish neighbourhoods. They stated that the Kurds are taking up arms against the Islamist rebels. “But how long can they resist Turkish-backed jihadists? The world must support the Kurds, the only democratic forces in Syria,” said Hemdad Mehristani, a peace activist in a post on X.

Iraqi Christian Foundation in a statement said: “Syrian Christians in Aleppo are in grave danger from the invading demonic Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists who have already begun removing all Christmas decorations and beheading captured soldiers.”

Meanwhile, the White House has dismissed claims of links with the rebels. “The United States has nothing to do with this Offensive, which is led by Hay’at Tahir al-Sham (HTS), a Designated Terrorist Organization. We will continue to fully defend and protect U.S. Personnel and U.S. Military Positions, which remain essential to ensuring that ISIS can never again resurge in Syria,” added the White House in a statement.

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