Over the past fortnight, rebel forces led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) carried out a lightning-fast offensive across Syria, seizing key cities along the way. The faction finally claimed the capital Damascus at the weekend (7 December), prompting President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country and seek refuge in Russia.
The overthrow of Assad was greeted cautiously by Western nations who are wary of the potential for further bloodshed and of a power vacuum in Syria, if a chaotic and contested transition of leadership takes place. But it would not be wrong to say that these Western powers themselves will take decisions which may lead Syria to further chaos.
An example of this was evident when in-spite of American president-elect Donald Trump claiming on social media that ‘It’s NOT our war.’ However, the Biden administration and Israel started aerial pounding to eliminate alleged chemical weapons in Syria. It reminds one of the Iraq story, and the future events might be duplication of it yet again.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that it has struck more than 75 targets, including ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps, to ensure that the group does not take advantage of the chaotic situation following the end of Assad’s rule. Al Jazeera reported Israel carrying out 480 air strikes in just two days (9-10 December) across Syria.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops have moved into the buffer zone on the edge of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. This was a longstanding Israeli dream, and in strategic terms it means that whosoever controls Golan Heights, could be a threat to Israel, as from the western Golan, it is only about 60 miles – without major terrain obstacles – to Haifa and Acre, and Israel’s industrial heartland. A UN spokesman described this as “constituting a violation” of the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria. Additionally, Israel’s military offensive in Syria could well be part........