TangoTwoBravo
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 3,370
- Points
- 1,110
The Assad regime was drawn from the Alawite religion who constitute just over 10% of the population. Alawites are considered Shia, but I thnk its a little more complicated. The Assad regime ruled with an iron fist for decades. The population odds were tremendously stacked against them once the Sunnis were mobilized.
The Assad regime was on the ropes in 2013 when three forces intervened: Iran provided weapons and money, Hezbollah provided muscle on the ground and Russia provided weapons and firepower. In 2014 there was the equivalent of a brigade of Hezbollah activitely in involved in the Civil War on the side of the Assad regime as shock troops. A lot has happened in ten years.
Before this last push by rebel forces Russia had impaled itself on Ukraine, Iran was off-balance due to the conflict with Israel and their Hezbollah proxies were very weakened by the war with Israel. Nasrallah had also been a key supporter of the Assad regime and his death earlier this year knocked out a key prop.
All that being said, it is estimated that at least one-third of the fighting age male population of Syrian Alawites had been killed in the Civil War before this latest push. They had lost the war of attrition, and with their foreign supporters out of action they could not resist a resurgent rebellion. I don't think any population could sustain losses at that level.
I believe that the Israelis have occupied the Syrian Armed Forces positions on the B Line (easternmost) of the zone of separation on the Golan from the 1974 treaty. This is likely a temporary measure until the security situation resolves itself within Syria?
The Assad regime was on the ropes in 2013 when three forces intervened: Iran provided weapons and money, Hezbollah provided muscle on the ground and Russia provided weapons and firepower. In 2014 there was the equivalent of a brigade of Hezbollah activitely in involved in the Civil War on the side of the Assad regime as shock troops. A lot has happened in ten years.
Before this last push by rebel forces Russia had impaled itself on Ukraine, Iran was off-balance due to the conflict with Israel and their Hezbollah proxies were very weakened by the war with Israel. Nasrallah had also been a key supporter of the Assad regime and his death earlier this year knocked out a key prop.
All that being said, it is estimated that at least one-third of the fighting age male population of Syrian Alawites had been killed in the Civil War before this latest push. They had lost the war of attrition, and with their foreign supporters out of action they could not resist a resurgent rebellion. I don't think any population could sustain losses at that level.
I believe that the Israelis have occupied the Syrian Armed Forces positions on the B Line (easternmost) of the zone of separation on the Golan from the 1974 treaty. This is likely a temporary measure until the security situation resolves itself within Syria?
