So ends greater than fifty years of dictatorship in Syria. On Sunday 8 December, an armed coalition led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani’s Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) stormed the capital, Damascus, after a lightning offensive. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who inherited energy from his father and whose regime was identified for its brutality and corruption, promptly fled the nation. His fall has been greeted by jubilant demonstrations in Syria, in addition to in Europe, the place nearly 1.3 million Syrians have sought refuge since 2015.
Assad has discovered refuge in Russia, together with his fellow dictator and long-time ally, Vladimir Putin. For the second, the deposed chief just isn’t anticipated to satisfy with the Russian president.
The autumn of the Syrian regime is a setback for the Kremlin, which had a beneficial naval base at Tartus – Russia’s solely direct entry to the Mediterranean – and an air base close to Latakia within the west. Preoccupied with Ukraine, Putin’s response stays to be seen. In the interim, the shock downfall of the Assad clan marks the start of a political turning level, after years of civil struggle that has drained the nation of its lifeblood.
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