The new war in Syria is the latest consequence of the upheavals that have engulfed the Middle East since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 last year.
Israel’s attacks and response upended the status quo. The events in Syria of the last few days prove once again that the war that has engulfed the Middle East is not abating, but is intensifying.
During the decade of war after 2011, Bashar al-Assad’s rule survived because he was willing to break Syria to save the regime he inherited from his father.
For this, he relied on powerful allies – Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah. They intervened on his side against rebel groups that ranged from the Islamic State jihadist extremists to militias backed by the US and wealthy Gulf monarchies.
Now, Iran is experiencing serious blows inflicted by Israel with the support of the USA on its security in the Middle East. Its ally Hezbollah, which previously sent its best men to fight for the Assad regime in Syria, has been crippled by Israeli attacks. In the past few days, Russia has launched airstrikes against rebels in Syria, but its military power is almost entirely focused on waging war in Ukraine.
The war in Syria is not over. It has fallen from the place it once occupied in the news headlines, in part because of the turbulence in the Middle East and beyond, and because it is almost impossible for journalists to get into the country.
In places, the war has been suspended or frozen, but Syria is full of unfinished business.
