GATESTONE
Turkey’s Syrian Jihadists Take Over Syria: Kurds, Half a Million Christians Under Intolerable Threat
Uzay Bulut
December 16, 2024

The Assad family’s rule of Syria, which lasted more than 50 years, collapsed on December 8. Jihadist forces took control of Damascus after President Bashar al-Assad escaped to a luxurious life in Moscow. Today, roughly half a million Christians and 2.5 million Kurds in Syria face a future of persecution and abuse at the hands of jihadist terrorists. The offensive launched by the jihadists of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, began on November 27. These terrorists, backed by Turkey, first captured Aleppo and a string of other towns and cities in a matter of days, before converging on Damascus. Since 2017, HTS has been the dominant Islamist militia in Syria. READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM How Erdogan’s rebel support redraws the Middle East map Assad’s fall presents a complex landscape of opportunities and challenges for Turkey. On the positive side, it delivers a significant blow to Russia and Iran, at least in the short to medium term. The Russian military withdrawal from Syria and Iran’s loss of a critical strategic node in its resistance axis represent substantial geopolitical shifts. Turkey’s southern border will be freed from Russian military presence, and Moscow’s global power projection capabilities will be considerably diminished.