The surprising fall of the Syrian regime in a matter of little less than minutes offers many details to clarify and many more to discover. After resisting a conglomerate of rebels, of very varied origins and conditions for thirteen years, President Bashar al Assad fell suddenly in eleven days after two and a half decades of government inherited from his father, Hafez al Assad. . The former Syrian president had to leave the country by plane without announcing the destination and leave power in the hands of the prime minister, Mohamed Ghazi, with the task of handing it over without further resistance to the invaders whose entry into the capital occurred this Sunday amid indescribable popular joy.
But above the details of the final battle, which began with the siege of Aleppo and the cowardly disbandment of the national Armed Forces – which withdrew practically without offering resistance -, and which concluded with the triumphant entry of the rebels into Damascus, After many ingredients for a war story with few precedents, now What is required is a deep analysis of the situation in an area where one of the great risks for the feared outbreak of a third world war is centered.
The Al Assad regime had the support of Russia and Iran, that there is no evidence that they have intervened urgently in the few days that have passed since the fall of Aleppo, and faced Turkey with an always belligerent Erdogan. Given the worrying situation created, while Israel continues to confront the pro-Iran militias of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the United States secret services have warned of the existence of stockpiles of chemical weapons somewhere in the area that Washington does not has specified. For their part, the winners are a coalition of varied rebel forces, among which Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – previously an affiliate of Al Qaeda – stands out, led by the Islamist Al Jolani, which increases international concern.
That a country of certain geopolitical importance in the area like Syria becomes controlled by forces with a clear ideology jihadistwho will inherit an important war arsenal, is seen as a new and serious threat to stability. Even more so for international security and especially for the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The situation in the area, which was already very complicated, has become even more serious. We live minutes of tension, of surprise, and we are condemned to wait.