Who are all the major players in the civil war and rebel uprising in Syria?

Syria’s long civil war has regained global attention after the militants They took control of Damascus over the weekend and toppled the 50-year-old Assad regime.

Tuesday, Announcing the new interim president of Syria He was taking charge of the country as interim prime minister with the support of former rebels who ousted President Bashar al-Assad three days ago.

In a brief speech broadcast on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a little-known figure in most of Syria who previously ran an administration in a small rebel-controlled enclave in the northwest, said he would lead the interim authority until March 1.

The astonishing advances made by rebel forces over the past two weeks have come with several key players in the conflict distracted or weakened, leading to the heaviest clashes since the 2020 ceasefire brought relative calm to the north of the country.

Here’s a look at the major players.

5 foreign powers in Syria

The civil war in Syria began in 2011 after an uprising against Assad’s rule. Five foreign powers have a military presence in the country: the United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Israel. Anti-Assad forces, along with US-backed fighters, control more than a third of the country.

Turkey has deployed forces in northwest Syria – territory controlled by Syrian rebel groups that revolted against Assad in 2011. Turkey, which strongly backed the 2011 uprising, supports some of these rebel groups.

Iran has deployed its Revolutionary Guards in Syria since 2012 to assist Assad. The Lebanese Hezbollah, supported by Iran, played a major role. For Iran, Assad is an important ally, part of the “axis of resistance” to Israel and American influence in the Middle East.

US military intervention in Syria began in 2014 with air strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group, which declared control over a third of Syria and Iraq. US forces remain in Syria and continue to support the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Russia intervened militarily alongside Assad in 2015, in its largest invasion in the Middle East since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Operating from an air base in Latakia Governorate, Russian air power has succeeded in tipping the scales of the conflict in Assad’s favor.

Israel controls the Golan Heights, which it captured in the 1967 war with its Arab neighbours. on monday, Israeli forces took control of a buffer zone In the Golan Heights, which was established by the ceasefire agreement with Syria in 1974. Israel denied reports that its forces advanced outside the buffer zone to the countryside southwest of Damascus.

The presence of Iranian and Iranian-backed forces in Syria is a source of great concern to Israel, prompting it to carry out repeated air strikes in Syria.

Syrian forces loyal to the government. With support from Russia and Iran

Syrian government forces have long controlled much of the country, thanks to allied forces sent by Russia and Iran.

As of the end of this week, Assad’s forces controlled most major population centers, including the capital, Damascus, and cities in central, southern and eastern Syria. The Syrian government’s takeover of Aleppo in late 2016 was a turning point in the conflict, and its loss of the city in recent days represents a major setback.

Iranian military advisors and proxy fighters played a crucial role in supporting Assad’s forces throughout the war. But the Lebanese Hezbollah group, backed by Iran, has been weakened in its recent war with Israel, and Iran has been preoccupied with the conflict. Last week, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias deployed to Syria to support the government’s counteroffensive.

The Russian army supports Assad from the Mediterranean coast, where it maintains its only naval base outside the former Soviet Union, and from the Hmeimim air base in Latakia Governorate, which includes hundreds of Russian forces. But much of its attention and resources were focused on its war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia had done so Granting political asylum to Assad.

Rebel groups. With major support from Türkiye

The anti-government forces are led by the rebel Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which has long operated as an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria and is considered a terrorist group by the United Nations as well as countries including the United States. And Canada.

Public Safety Canada noted that Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which merged in 2017 under Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, claimed responsibility for hundreds of attacks, including ambushes, kidnappings, assassinations, suicide bombings, and improvised explosive devices.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham took control of much of northwestern Syria, and in 2017 formed a “rescue government” to manage day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, its leader, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, has sought to reshape the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaeda, abandoning hardline officials and pledging to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance.

Other rebel groups include the Nour al-Din al-Zenki group, which was previously supported by the United States, before joining the coalition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

A coalition of Turkish-backed armed groups, known as the Syrian National Army, attacked areas including the northern town of Tal Rifaat, controlled by the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

Chinese fighters from the Turkestan Islamic Party and Chechen fighters from the former Soviet Union participated in the battles taking place in the northwest of the country, according to Syrian opposition activists.

Türkiye, which controls parts of northern Syria, has not announced the number of its forces in the country.

Syrian Democratic Forces. With support from the United States

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of US-backed groups, control large parts of eastern Syria.

The Syrian Democratic Forces fought battles against the Islamic State, seizing the last piece of territory previously controlled by the extremists in eastern Syria. About 900 American soldiers are stationed in eastern Syria to protect against the return of the extremist group.

On Sunday, the United States launched one of its largest and most extensive attacks against ISIS camps and operatives in the desert, taking advantage of the fall of the Assad government. So far, US officials say they are not planning to increase US forces in Syria but are focused on making sure those already there are safe.

Türkiye considers the main Kurdish faction in the Syrian Democratic Forces to be linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which it and its allies consider a terrorist group.