aleppo falls to rebels: russia's waning influence exposed
Israeli analyst Daniel Rakov assessed that the capture of Syria's Aleppo by Islamist rebels is an embarrassing defeat for Russia, which supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rakov emphasized that Ukraine has been supporting Syrian rebels in recent months, although the scale of this support remains unclear.
On Saturday, the rebels took control of most of Aleppo, surprising the Russians. Daniel Rakov, an expert on Russian policy from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, noted that state media in Russia largely ignore the fighting in Syria. The Russian authorities minimize the scale of the conflict and exaggerate Assad's ability to handle the rebellion.
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Impact on Russia's image
Rakov assessed that the loss of Aleppo by Assad harms Russia's image as a power that tries to project its strength beyond the post-Soviet area. It also poses a threat to Putin's strategic assets, including Russian military bases in Syria. The pace of the rebel offensive forces Russia to react quickly.
The loss of control over northern Syria by Assad's regime, allied with Iran and Russia, complicates the rebuilding of Hezbollah, which supported Assad. The Shiite organization conducted battles with Israel for a year, and in the last two months, these have taken the form of open warfare. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in effect since Wednesday.
Sudden rebel attack
Fighters from the Syrian organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and their allies launched an offensive against government forces. On Saturday, the rebels seized Aleppo and continue to advance, with heavy battles occurring between government forces and Islamist militias. Russia and Syria's air forces bombed Aleppo, and over 300 people have already died in the fighting.
These are the most serious clashes in Syria since 2020, when Russia and Turkey, which supports the rebels, reached an agreement that ended most of the fighting. The civil war in Syria broke out in 2011, plunging the country into chaos. The regime in Damascus regained control over most of the territory with the support of Russia and Iran.
The conflict has claimed at least half a million lives. Aleppo, which had a population of over 2 million before the war, was the site of some of the bloodiest battles. Assad regained the city in 2016.
