History tells us that where a fragmented coalition of armed groups finds itself in a political vacuum, more violence is probably on the horizon.
Syrians wave ‘revolutionary’ Syrian flags during a celebratory demonstration following the first Friday prayers since Bashar Assad’s ouster, in Damascus’ central square, Syria, on Dec. 13, 2024.
(AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan both see an opportunity to advance their competing interests in post-Assad Syria.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has struck a serious blow to Iran’s Axis of Resistance. But weak governments in Lebanon and Jordan could fall next, creating a jihadist axis.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is dead; Syria’s Bashar Assad has fled. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is running out of friends.
AFP/Getty Images
Lebanon – home to thousands of Syrian refugees – has long suffered at the hands of the Assad family’s 54-year rule.
Syrians gather in the heart of Damascus on Dec. 9, 2024, to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime. Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Syrian revolution is profoundly significant to those who suffered suffocating repression, surveillance and everyday indignities under a brutal dictator.
Supporters greet Abu Mohammed al-Golani as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on Dec. 8, 2024.
Aref Tammawi/AFP via Getty Images
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, with origins in the terrorist group Nusra Front, spearheaded the rebel advance that ousted longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
An opposition fighter fires his AK-47 as he celebrates the takeover of the city of Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 8, 2024.
(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Whatever happens now in the aftermath of the fall of the Syrian dictatorship isn’t likely to return stability to Syria. The continued displacement and suffering of the Syrian people is probable.
Key facility: Tartus naval base in 2019.
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Professor of Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University