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Resurgence of Syrian Civil War: Aleppo and Hama Fall to Rebels
Hayat Tahrir Al-Cham (HTC) rebels captured Aleppo and Hama in Syria on December 1st and 5th, 2024, respectively, due to the Syrian army's weakness and poor condition outside of the regime's core power centers, signifying a resurgence of the Syrian civil war.
- How does the condition of the Syrian army outside its core power centers explain the recent rebel successes?
- The recent rebel victories highlight the Syrian regime's vulnerability beyond its core power centers. The army's poor condition, lack of equipment, and lack of fighting spirit, as evidenced by the Aleppo and Hama events and a 2019 Kurdish report detailing poorly equipped soldiers, explain the swift rebel advances. This contradicts the narrative of a decisively concluded civil war, revealing the persistent conflict's depth.
- What factors contributed to the swift rebel takeover of Aleppo and Hama, challenging the perception of the Syrian civil war's conclusion?
- Hayat Tahrir Al-Cham (HTC) rebels captured Aleppo and Hama in Syria, marking a resurgence of anti-Assad insurgency. The Syrian army's weakness, particularly outside the Damascus-Homs-Latakia axis, contributed to the swift fall of these cities. This demonstrates the regime's fragility and the continuation of the Syrian civil war, despite previous perceptions of its end.
- What are the potential long-term implications of this renewed insurgency for the stability of the Syrian regime and the broader regional context?
- The fall of Aleppo and Hama signals a potential escalation of the Syrian conflict, undermining the Assad regime's authority. The rebels' use of drones, demonstrated in the 2023 attack on Homs and the current offensive, suggests evolving tactics and increased threat. This renewed insurgency demands reconsideration of the conflict's trajectory and potential regional instability.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The framing emphasizes the military aspects and the unexpected resurgence of HTS, suggesting a narrative of sudden and surprising military success for HTS. This could be seen as potentially downplaying the long-term factors and underlying causes of the conflict's resurgence.
Language Bias
The language used in the article is largely neutral, although terms like "délabrement" (deterioration) to describe the Syrian army carry a negative connotation.
Bias by Omission
The analysis focuses heavily on the military and political aspects of the conflict, potentially overlooking the human cost and the perspectives of civilians caught in the crossfire. The lack of information on civilian casualties or displacement could be considered a bias by omission. There is also no mention of the international community's response to the conflict.
False Dichotomy
The article presents a somewhat simplified view of the conflict, focusing primarily on the conflict between the Syrian regime and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). It does not extensively address other rebel groups or the role of external actors, presenting a potentially false dichotomy of the conflict.
Sustainable Development Goals
The resurgence of the anti-Assad insurgency and the fall of Aleppo and Hama to Hayat Tahrir Al-Cham (HTC) demonstrate a failure of peace and the weakening of state institutions in Syria. The article highlights the Syrian army's inability to defend these cities, suggesting a lack of capacity and effectiveness of the state's security apparatus. This directly undermines SDG 16, which aims for peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.