{"id":281909,"date":"2024-12-09T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=281909"},"modified":"2024-12-05T07:29:13","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T07:29:13","slug":"mapping-who-controls-what-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/12\/mapping-who-controls-what-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Who Controls What in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seize control of large parts of Aleppo, one of Syria\u2019s largest cities.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3 Dec 2024 <\/em>– Syrian and Russian jets have ramped up air raids<\/a> on Idlib and Aleppo as the government of President Bashar al-Assad tries to slow the advance of opposition fighters.<\/p>\n

The raids followed big gains by the opposition over the past few days that have greatly shifted the front line in Syria\u2019s 13-year-long war.<\/p>\n

On November 27, Syrian opposition fighters, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham<\/a> (HTS), launched a surprise offensive that captured large parts of Aleppo, the country\u2019s second largest city.<\/p>\n

Syrian government forces had controlled Aleppo since 2016 with support from Iran, Russia and the Lebanese group Hezbollah after a brutal air campaign by Russian warplanes helped al-Assad retake the city of about two million people.<\/p>\n

Who controls what?<\/h2>\n

The map below shows the territorial control of various groups as of December 3.<\/p>\n

\"Interactive_Syria<\/p>\n

Four main groups are competing for control on the ground in Syria. They are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Syrian government forces:<\/strong> The army, the government\u2019s main military force, fights alongside the National Defence Forces, a pro-government paramilitary group.<\/li>\n
  2. Syrian Democratic Forces: <\/strong>This Kurdish-dominated, United States-backed group controls parts of eastern Syria.<\/li>\n
  3. HTS and other allied rebel groups:<\/strong> The HTS is the latest iteration of the al-Nusra Front, which had pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda until it severed those ties in 2016.<\/li>\n
  4. Turkish and Turkish-aligned Syrian rebel forces:<\/strong> The Syrian National Army is a Turkish-backed rebel force in northern Syria.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Interactive_Syria_RebelGroups_Dec3_2024\"<\/p>\n

    How the offensive unfolded<\/h2>\n

    On Wednesday, the day a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon<\/a> came into effect, Syrian opposition forces, led by HTS, launched an offensive from their base in Idlib governorate in northwestern Syria.<\/p>\n

    The rebel group says the attacks are retaliation for recent Syrian government assaults on cities in Idlib, including Ariha and Sarmada, which resulted in civilian casualties, including the deaths of children, and aim to deter future attacks on the rebel stronghold.<\/p>\n

    \"INTERACTIVE-Syrian<\/p>\n

    The operation marked the first major attack against al-Assad\u2019s forces in the region since the 2020 Idlib ceasefire<\/a>, brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n

    By Wednesday evening, the group had seized at least 19 towns and villages from pro-government forces, including military sites, as they pushed into western Aleppo governorate.<\/p>\n

    Syrian government forces responded by shelling rebel-held areas while the Russian air force carried out air attacks.<\/p>\n