-
Analysis: Iran never gave up on Assad; it simply failed to protect him
The sudden collapse of the Islamic Republic’s closest state-actor ally stunned the world as Syrian rebels captured Damascus in just 11 days after launching a new wave of insurgency. To deflect this humiliating defeat, Iranian officials have claimed that the Tehran-Damascus alliance had been weakening and that Iran no longer aimed to preserve the Assad dynasty. However, leaks from Tehran and insights into Iranian regional strategy tell a different story: Iran was incapable of safeguarding the Syrian regime, and its collapse has sparked internal divisions among Iranian officials.
-
Palestinian militia reports high number of fatalities on Syria’s frontlines
Much like other theaters in Syria, the pro-regime Palestinian militia appears to be playing an integral role in northern Hama.
-
Analysis: The budding insurgency in southern Syria
Yesterday, a low-quality video depicting an IED attack on a regime checkpoint in southern Syria was uploaded to the internet. A relatively unknown group, the Popular Resistance, claimed credit within the video itself. While this small outfit has claimed a series of sporadic attacks since its inception last fall, it nonetheless represents a budding insurgency in Syria’s southern areas. The efforts of the group, or other popup organizations, are a good indicator of what’s to come in a post-regime ‘victory’ Syria. Following the Assad regime’s recapture of the southern provinces of Deraa and Quneitra last summer, tensions have remained high…
-
Assad offensive creeps closer to southwest Syria ceasefire zone
Although Iranian-aligned forces have reportedly agreed to withdraw from a buffer zone near the Jordanian and Israeli borders, the threat of Iranian expansion remains high.
-
Analysis: Hezbollah redeploys forces after withdrawal from Syrian-Lebanese border positions
Hezbollah has repositioned its men for the ongoing battles in Syria.
-
Russian helicopter downed by the Islamic State near Palmyra, Syria
Russia initially denied that a helicopter was downed east of Palmyra, Syria. After the Islamic State posted a video of the attack, the Russians conceded that two pilots were killed when the chopper was struck by Islamic State terrorists. Russian propaganda has blamed an American-made TOW missile for bringing down the helicopter, but the video seems to show anti-aircraft fire hitting the tail rotor of the chopper.
-
Assad regime, allies break Islamic State’s siege of air base in Aleppo
With the help of Russian airstrikes, Bashar al Assad’s military and paramilitary allies have broken the Islamic State’s siege of the Kweiris air base in Aleppo province. Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militant organizations supported the Syrian military’s offensive.
