Under the leadership of former Al-Qaeda jihadist Abu Mohammed al-Golani-led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syrian rebels seized the capital Damascus unopposed on December 8, 2024. It was a well calculated onslaught that resulted in President Bashar al-Assad’s defeat. He was compelled to seek sanctuary in Russia in order to save his life as well as his entire family. This fleeing resulted in the culmination of a 13-year-long civil war and Five decades of Bashar al-Assad’s family rule.
In one of the biggest turning points for West Asia, the fall of Assad’s Government wiped out a bastion from which Iran’s other Shia groups exercised influence across the Arab world.
Who Is Bashar al-Assad?
- Bashar al-Assad was born on September 11, 1965, in Damascus, he is the third child of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until he died in 2000.
- The Assads, belonging to Syria’s Alawite minority, a sect constituting about 10 per cent of the Syrian population, rose to prominence through military and political manoeuvring
- He has done graduation in ophthalmologist from the University of Damascus in 1988, and later trained in London
- His path changed dramatically in 1994 when his elder brother and heir apparent, Basil, died in a car accident. Bashar returned to Syria and was groomed to succeed his father
- Hafez al-Assad’s death in June 2000 paved the way for Bashar al-Assad’s presidency
Just after the takeover, Abu Mohammed al-Golani appointed Sharia supporter Mohammed al-Bashir as Prime Minister, who has promised to bring back stability in the country.
Russia Acts as Saviour
Notably, Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar al-Assad, died in 2000 after ruling Syria for three decades. Bashar al-Assad succeeded him and ruled the country for more than 20 years. However, the country faced resistance from different groups, from Kurds to ISIS to the current rebel group. However, Assad survived due to the support of Russia, Iran and the Hezbollah group from Lebanon.
The fact of the matter is that Russia had been the main protector of Assad for more than a decade, amid growing pressure on him from the United States. Following the recent political crisis in Syria, Russia granted asylum to Bashar al-Assad and his family. This was confirmed by TASS, news agency of Russia, citing a Kremlin source. The situation in Syria remains a focal point for all the neighbouring nations after Syrian rebels on December 10 entered the capital Damascus, forcing Assad to flee, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.
Abu Muhammad al-Golani: Rebel Leader who toppled Assad’s Regime
- Abu Mohammad al-Julani, commander of HTS, is a key figure in the Syrian civil war
- He known for his role in the anti-Assad insurgency
- Al-Julani was born in 1982 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, al-Julani began his journey into militancy at a young age
- His family hails from the Golan Heights, but he spent his childhood in Damascus
- During Iraq War, al-Julai joined al-Qaeda
- In 2011, as the Syrian uprising began, al-Julani returned to Syria to establish Jabhat al-Nusra, which became the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda
- In 2016, al-Julani separated from Al-Qaeda and rebranded his group as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). This shift was an effort to present HTS as a Syrian-focused organisation rather than a global extremist group
Shedding light on the development, Russia said, it has always spoken in favour of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. Disclosing to the Russian News Agency, Russian Foreign Ministry said, “We are following the dramatic events in Syria with extreme concern. As a result of negotiations between B Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict in the SAR, he decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully. Russia did not participate in these negotiations. At the same time, we appeal to all parties involved with a strong call to renounce the use of violence and resolve all governance issues by political means.”
Takeover of Damascus
Notably, the civil war in the country that had remained dormant for a few years resurfaced. Within a span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups took over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa, before seizing control of Damascus unopposed on December 8, ending the Assad family’s nearly six decades of autocratic rule. The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country. The head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad,” according to Reuters. This came after Syrian rebels claimed capturing Damascus.
“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement.
US Reaction on Syria
The US had always opposed Assad’s regime and had attempted in the past to oust him but could not succeed. However, on December 8, US President Joe Biden hailed the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, calling it a “fundamental act of justice.”
He further said that the fall of the regime is a moment of historic opportunity for the Syrian people to rebuild their nation. Biden made the remarks on the latest developments in Syria. “After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Basher Assad, his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office and flee the country,” President Biden said. Pointing out that his administration has been pursuing a clear principal policy towards Syria, Biden said, “First, we made clear from the start that sanctions on Assad would remain in place unless he engaged seriously in a political process to end the Civil War as outlined by the UN Security Council resolution passed in 2015. But Assad refused; so we carried out a comprehensive sanction programme against him and all those responsible for atrocities against the Syrian people.”
Israel Campaign of Airstrikes across Syria
On the other hand, Israel’s military on December 11 said that it had conducted an extensive campaign of airstrikes across Syria following the ousting of President Bashar Assad. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that the strikes, carried out over 48 hours, targeted most of Syria’s strategic weapons stockpiles to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremist groups.
The fact of the matter is that the situation in Syria is not going to improve in the near future. According to foreign policy experts, there are high chances of revival of Sunni terrorist organisations like Islamic States and other groups.
