Syria's complex civil war entered a new phase this week as Islamic rebels consolidated their control over Aleppo, while US-backed Kurdish forces launched a separate offensive against President Bashar al-Assad's army and Iranian-backed groups in the country's eastern regions, significantly altering the conflict's dynamics.
The last 24 hours have witnessed intense exchanges of fire between the Syrian Democratic Forces (a Kurdish-led coalition backed by the United States) and Assad's forces alongside pro-Iranian armed groups. Success by the Kurdish-led coalition in this arena could prove advantageous for Israel by disrupting Iranian arms supply networks.
Foreign reports indicate that the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Deir ez-Zor Military Council have initiated "Operation Return," targeting a series of villages currently held by Assad's forces and pro-Iranian armed groups. Their declared purpose is to enable the return of residents who were previously forced from these villages.
The Syrian News Agency, a media outlet aligned with the Assad government, reported that its military and "auxiliary forces" are responding to an offensive in eastern Deir ez-Zor. The report characterized the Syrian Democratic Forces as "terrorists belonging to a separatist militia."
In western Syria, the Islamic rebels' command center announced control over more than 15 villages and towns in northwestern Hama province, with forces advancing toward Hama city. This campaign, spearheaded by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, carries the name "Deterrence of Aggression." The northern province of Idlib has also fallen entirely under their control.
Concurrently, the Syrian National Army, comprising various Islamic armed groups, some receiving Turkish support, has opened another front against the Syrian Democratic Forces. These groups are targeting Kurdish autonomous regions in northern Syria through an operation dubbed "Dawn of Freedom," designed to diminish Syrian Democratic Forces' influence. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government in Turkey maintains a strategic interest in reducing Kurdish power and is acting in pursuit of this objective.
Recent diplomatic engagement between Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers concluded with both sides acknowledging their divergent views on Syrian developments. At a joint press conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated, "it's natural we have differences."
