The Fall of Aleppo

Thirteen years after Syria's civil war first erupted, Bashar al-Assad's grip on power faces its latest challenge: a lightning rebel offensive is exposing not only the fragility of his regime but his reliance on foreign powers. Is this the beginning of the end for Assad's iron rule?

As of today Syria is divided into 4 spheres of control and influence Bashar al-Assad’s government, an anti-Assad rebel stronghold in Idlib, Kurds forces which are backed by the U.S, and parts of the north which are occupied by the Turkish military. A ceasefire in 2020 brokered by Russia and Turkey secured a rebel holdout in Idlib in northwestern Syria, and the American presence in the North East has deterred the al-Assad government from launching an offensive across the Euphrates.

On Wednesday the anti-Assad rebels in Idlib launched a successful offensive into Syria’s second largest city Aleppo within 48 hours. During this time Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remained largely silent. 

The losses to the rebels has shown that Assad is reliant on foreign allies (Russia, Iran, Hizbullah) in keeping the territory his government controls.

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