[update] Assad flees Syria, rebels take Damascus
 

The Arab Spring ground to a halt in Syria because Russia backed Assad in order to protect its warm-water port in Tartus. Now, Russia’s military is hollowed out and unable to save him …

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwy8xzxe0w7t

Tonight Assad is nowhere to be seen (though his office insists he hasn’t fled) and ship movements out of Tartus suggest the Russian Mediterranean fleet may be fleeing. If that turns out to be true it’s a strategic calamity for Russia, which can’t even fall back to its Black Sea ports because Turkey has closed the Bosporus to military vessels. And it’s a long, long way to Kaliningrad when you have limited support vessels in attendance.

Back in Syria, however, the rebels are not exactly ‘our people’ - the whiff of Al Quaeda is strong.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

sky news reporting assad has left Damascus by plane for unknown destination

can't believe how quickly this has happened

https://news.sky.com/story/syrian-pr...ports-13269339

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

Disregarding the background/motives of a portion of the rebels from a purely tactical perspective they’ve played this perfectly. Wait until the 3rd parties which support your opponent are unwilling or unable to provide support and then basically walk in and take the country with minimal resistance and casualties

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

Now that the not so good guys have taken over from the other not so good guy what happens next?

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

I guess we’re back to the 1990s when it was considered useful to have one lot of Muslims daggers drawn against another lot to try to keep the Middle East in check. The rebels in Syria are Al Quaeda-adjacent and Sunni. They hate the West but they also usefully hate Iran (Shia).

Problem is the last time Al Quaeda got too comfortable it didn’t work out so well in the end.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

CIA will be busy.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

And there is the additional flash-point of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army fighting the US-backed Kurdish militias (who were fighting Islamic State) in the north-west of Syria around Aleppo.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

The CIA have been busy I suspect.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

I think Turkish fingers are in this up to their elbows.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

Oh I'm pretty sure EVERYONE is having a good meddle in the middle.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

Lots of Syrians will be booking journeys on little boats.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

No it's safe to go back now ,this is a bonus for Starmer .

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

For once we agree. Someone clearly gave the rebels a nudge and pointed out that Russia is no longer in a position to prop Assad up, what with them throwing everything at moving a few inches closer to Kyiv each year.

Re: Beginning of the end for Assad of Syria?
 

And Iran being otherwise engaged probably played a large part too.