The Middle Eastern tsunami that followed October 7, 2023 seems to have swept away another decades-old certainty: the stability of the Syrian power system, embodied by Syrian President Bashar al Assad and propped up for years by the military, political and diplomatic efforts of Iran and Russia.
The jihadist rebels of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS, Commission for the Liberation of Syria) are overwhelming the main Syrian cities in the north and centre, starting with Aleppo, almost without a fight , threatening the stability of the regime, now also surrounded by the rekindling of internal revolts along the Euphrates valley and the southern regions bordering Jordan.
Thousands of civilians are fleeing the conflict and the UN has begun the evacuation of personnel from Aleppo , which has fallen into the hands of the rebels, while the Farnesina has reassured on the conditions of the approximately 300 Italians reported in the tormented Middle Eastern country. Of these, 120 are registered in Aleppo and most will be evacuated in the next few hours to Damascus, where Ambassador Stefano Ravagnan, who took office in the Syrian capital only a few days ago, is waiting for them.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that only a few Italian-Syrian family groups and a very few Italian religious figures have decided to stay in Aleppo. For the moment, the deputy prime minister said, "there is no danger for our fellow countrymen, also because the rebels have clearly said that they will not touch or carry out hostile operations against civilians, foreigners and even Christians ."
The offensive, which began only three days ago, first hit the countryside west of Aleppo and then the entire Syrian metropolis, which was completely conquered yesterday, while government forces melted like snow in the sun in all their bases and positions , leaving unguarded the military airports of Kuwairis, Abu Dhuhur, Nayrab and even the international airport of Aleppo, which has never fallen into the hands of insurgents since the beginning of the war more than 13 years ago.
The Kurdish forces, representing the local wing of the PKK and which have long maintained a stronghold in Aleppo, initially attempted to take advantage of the government withdrawal and were the first to take control of the city's international airport. Only in the afternoon, after tough negotiations with pro-Turkish forces, did the airport pass into the hands of the jihadists led by Ankara. They continued south, entering the entire Idlib region without a fight, and penetrating, for the first time in almost a decade, the central region of Hama . Here, Russian forces withdrew from the military airport and the key base of Sqeilibye, on the Orontes River. And the jihadist offensive did not stop, reaching the outskirts of Homs, 100 kilometers north of the capital.
The news has given strength to the never-dormant political aspirations of the rebel factions in southern Syria, who attacked government positions in Daraa and Suwayda, on the border with Jordan. And in the evening there were rumors - unconfirmed - of clashes in the center of Damascus, between rival government factions, led respectively by pro-Iranian elements and by others pro-Russian .
The government news agency Sana has stopped sending news, as well as numerous websites of media and government institutions. All indications that lead to a scenario that was unthinkable until a few hours ago but that many are now predicting: a coup against Bashar al Assad, who according to some media has fled to Moscow for days, according to others holed up in a bunker in the presidential palace in Damascus .
In the evening, a laconic statement arrived from the leader, who assured in a phone call with his Emirati counterpart that Syria "will defeat the terrorists" . During the night, another piece of news was released by the Lebanese government: a Russian air strike killed Abu Muhammad al Jolani in Idlib, head of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS, Commission for the Liberation of Syria), an acronym that brings together the Sunni rebels who attacked in Syria.
This morning, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke out, declaring that Tehran "will strongly support the Syrian government and army against terrorist groups" and accusing the US and the "Israeli Zionist regime, who seek to achieve their goals by creating insecurity in the region through these terrorists" .
Since the start of the offensive, the Guardian reports, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 372 people have been killed, including at least 20 civilians . Syrian state TV has instead claimed that government forces have killed nearly a thousand rebels, without providing evidence or details.
(Online Union)