Locator: 44501SYRIA.
Syria in maps: BBC, December 7, 2024. Link here.
The Syrian War, New York Times, December 6, 2024. Link here.
**********************************
Updates
December 8, 2024: officially it's over. Assad resigns and flees to join his family in Moscow.
December 7, 2024, 10:08 p.m. CST: two minutes ago, NY Times is reporting "it's all over" for Assad. Drudge hasn't updated his banner.
December 7, 2024, 9:14 a. m. CST: it is being reported rebels are inside Damascus. If so, it’s over. Turkish-backed Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HST) and allies launched an offensive on Assad's government from the northwest corner of the country last week.
Mideast map being re-drawn. Iran knows that if it loses Mr. al-Assad and its sway over Damascus, it is game over for its attempt to fortify a crescent of Shiite Muslim proxy forces from Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen that can threaten Israel. Nonetheless on Friday, Iran, after more than a decade of staunch support for Mr. al-Assad, began evacuating top military commanders of its powerful Quds Forces and other personnel from Syria, according to Iranian and regional officials. Some analysts see the hand of Mr. Erdogan in the sweeping advance of the main Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant.
Turkey seized an opportunity to increase its influence at a time when Iran was beleaguered, analysts said, and it wants the three million Syrian refugees who fled to its territory because of the civil war to return home.
Biden is asleep; Harris AWOL; and, Trump in Paris. JD Vance in charge back at home.
December 7, 2024: Assad preparing his “day-of-infamy” speech. Rebels less than a mile outside Damascus.
December 7, 2024:
rebels widen assault. Assad rushes forces to protect Homs, Damascus. It
will be interesting to see if Assad's troops support him or the
rebels. Link here. At time of posting, story was 39 minutes "old."
December 6, 2024: this is a huge story -- Iran is not just evacuating ordinary Iranian citizens, but Iran is pulling their military forces out of Syria. It's hard to believe Assad's days are not numbered. His wife and children have "escaped" to Russia. Wow, as rich as they are, to end up in Moscow. Link here to The WSJ.
December 5, 2024:
Rebels have reached Hama. Syrian's government forces have pulled out of Hama.
Rebels are now on their way to Homs, the last big city before they move to Damascus.
See map below.
Nothing like a good war to learn geography.
Link to The [London] Telegraph.
*********************
Previous
Locator: 44479SYRIA.
December 1, 2024:
Map from December 1, 2024. As of December 5, 2024, the rebels have taken Hama and are now on their way to Homs.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.