Syria after Assad: New ruler, key political figures and uncertain future
India TodayIn 2011, Syrians broke into protests demanding the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, who responded with brutal force, triggering a civil war that has killed over 5 lakh people. For about eight years, the frontlines in Syria’s civil war had been frozen with Assad’s regime – backed by Russia and Iran – ruling the largest parts of the country while different opposition groups are holding territories in, north and west. As HTS-led rebel groups marched into the capital, reports suggested President Assad - ruling Syria since 2000 and his family since 1970 – left on an Il-76 plane. For instance, members of the Syrian National Army killed many people in areas controlled by the SDF on the outskirts of Aleppo when the HTS captured the city earlier this week. PM Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Israeli forces to take control of buffer zones along the Syrian areas in the Golan Heights to “fortify Israel’s border”.