The regime of Bashar El-Assad has increased diplomatic talks with its allies to restore a situation that seems out of control.
Planes of the Syrian Air Force, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, carried out strikes on rebel areas in northwestern Syria on Monday. 11 civilians are believed to have died in these strikes carried out on the outskirts of the village of Es-Safira, southeast of Aleppo.
This is the first time since the start of the war in Syria in 2011 that the regime of Bashar El-Assad has lost control of the city of Aleppo. Aleppo was lost after an offensive by insurgents, a coalition of anti-government fighters.
This Monday, the Syrian army, with its Russian ally, said it was targeting rebel hideouts and denied bombing civilians.
“Nip the insurrection in the bud”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to nip the insurgency in the bud, arguing in state media that “terrorists only know the language of force and it is with this language that we will crush them “.
The rebellion is led by a motley coalition of secular armed groups supported by Turkey but dominated by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al Cham. These groups entered Aleppo, east of Idlib province, on Friday evening at the end of a lightning offensive which forced President Bashar al Assad's army to redeploy.
Since the loss of Aleppo, the Syrian army has received support from Bashar El-Assad's allies. Syrian regime leaders held several diplomatic meetings with regional officials on Sunday.
According to a report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), President Bashar al-Assad visited Moscow, Russia, on November 30, although Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said refused to confirm the information. This Monday, December 2, however, he would have clarified that Russia now maintains “close and regular contacts in real time with all the main actors (on the situation in Syria), including the representatives of Iran and Turkey.”
Thus, after a meeting with Bashar El-Assad, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, will meet Turkish officials in Ankara, Türkiye. Assad also spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani on November 30. Syrian Foreign Minister Bassem Sabbagh also spoke by telephone with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi.
“Regional terrorism”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed the importance of cohesion among Islamic countries to combat “regional terrorism” during a telephone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani on December 1.
The Assad regime has already received external aid. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias are reportedly active in northwest Syria since Syrian opposition forces launched their surprise offensive on November 27.
Furthermore, China indicated on Monday that it supports the Syrian regime in “its efforts to maintain national security and stability.”
Change of Russian commander in Syria
As for Russia, it is providing air support while the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) is said to have replaced Lieutenant-General Sergei Kisel over the weekend with Colonel-General Alexander Chaiko, who will resume his previous mission of commander of the group of Russian forces in Syria where he had been involved since 2015.
Information confirmed this Sunday, December 1, by the Main Directorate of Ukrainian Military Intelligence (GUR) without being able to specify what the dismissal of Kisel would change in the situation or in Russian operations in Syria.
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