Syrian Journalist Discusses What Led to the Rebel Takeover in Syria | Amanpour & Company

The 'so-called' Rebels have been planning this sudden 11-day take-over for more than a year!

ADDENDUM 

US-backed and Turkish-backed forces sign truce in Syria – commander. . .The Kurdish-led SDF has agreed to withdraw from Manbij following an American-brokered deal

Armed opposition forces in the Aleppo countryside on December 1, 2024, following clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian government army. ©  Rami Alsayed / NurPhoto

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) have reached a ceasefire after days of fighting for the control of the northern city of Manbij, top SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, has announced.
“We have reached a ceasefire agreement in Manbij with US mediation, in order to preserve the security anThe US-backedd safety of civilians,” Abdi wrote on X in the early hours of Wednesday. He added that local SDF fighters “will be withdrawn from the area as soon as possible.”
“Our goal is a ceasefire across Syria and to enter into a political process for the future of the country,” Abdi wrote.

West fears hardline Islamist regime in Syria – Reuters

Western and Arab countries are reportedly concerned that the fall of the Assad government in Syria could mean that more hardline Islamist forces could attempt to seize power in the country, according to Reuters.

• Over the weekend, opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadist militants seized control over major cities including Damascus, and deposed former President Bashar Assad, who left the country and has been granted asylum in Russia.

However, according to several diplomats and analysts who have spoken to Reuters, the US, Israel, and other Arab powers in the region fear that the lack of a clear authority in Syria could lead to instability and extremism.
“There is strong fear inside and outside the region of the power vacuum that Assad’s sudden collapse may cause,” Abdelaziz al-Sager, the director of the Gulf Research Center think tank, told Reuters, pointing to past civil wars that followed the toppling of the governments of Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011.
One Western diplomat also told the outlet that given how fragmented the opposition forces are, there is currently no clear plan for how to rule Syria and manage its complex population which consists of multiple sects and ethnic groups.

READ MORE: Opposition leader appointed PM in Syria

The diplomat expressed fear that Syria could descend into lawlessness, which could allow for the flourishing of extremist groups such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

However, Israeli experts believe that despite the risk of chaos engulfing Syria, the fall of Assad’s government could still prove to be beneficial for the Jewish state.

“Despite concerns over the rise of extremist elements near the border and the lack of a clear authority in charge, the military capabilities of the rebels, in their various forms, aren’t comparable to those of Iran and its proxies,” Carmit Valensi, a senior researcher at an Israeli think tank, told Reuters.
US President Joe Biden has also celebrated Assad’s fall, but has acknowledged that the sudden change of power created a period of “risk and uncertainty” for Syria. 

• Over the past two days, US forces have conducted dozens of airstrikes against IS positions in Syria to prevent the terrorist group from reasserting itself.

 Washington has also supported Israel’s advance past the demilitarized buffer zone with Syria at the Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces claimed that the incursion is meant to prevent Syrian-based militants from taking over the border areas and launching an offensive into Israel in the future.