Syra: Trump sez not our fight

Iran and Hezbollah Fail to Support Assad as Jihadi Rebels Push Toward Damascus

Syrian Regime Falls

Assad Flees

IDF Moves Tanks into Demilitarized Zone to Deter Syrian Rebels

Syrian Regime Falls; Assad Flees; Possible Plane Crash

Reports from the Middle East indicate that the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad has fallen, with the dictator fleeing the country as rebel forces entered the capital city of Damascus.

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was reported to have fled the capital city of Damascus on Sunday. Unconfirmed social media reports suggested that he had been aboard a plane that appeared to have crashed.

‘Not our fight’: President-elect Trump distances US from Syria’s conflict

Big mistake. Do we really want to sit back and watch how Syria turns into another Al Qaeda nation? They will kill the Christians, the Alawites, the Druse, the Kurds….

“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend,” Trump wrote, before switching to all uppercase letters for emphasis. “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”

Trump campaigned for re-election in November’s presidential race by pushing an “America First” platform, one that critics feared could destabilise US alliances abroad.

In Syria, the US maintains no formal diplomatic relations with the government of embattled President Bashar al-Assad. But it does back the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led coalition based largely in the northeast, as an ally in defeating ISIL (ISIS).

The war in Syria has been raging since 2011, when “Arab Spring” protests erupted against al-Assad and the government responded with a heavy-handed crackdown. The situation sparked a multi-sided conflict, with four main groups holding territory in Syria.

But the boundaries of the conflict shifted dramatically on November 27, when opposition fighters led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) made a push from their northwestern stronghold of Idlib.

After reclaiming Aleppo in a lightning offensive, the opposition forces swept southward, capturing a string of government-held cities including Hama and Deraa and encircling other areas like Homs. By Saturday, they were kilometres from the capital, Damascus.

Trump, a Republican, noted the rapidly changing nature of the conflict in his Saturday post, calling the opposition offensive “unprecedented”. He predicted a “big move toward taking out Assad”.

Still, his post was largely focused on US relations with Russia and his ongoing rivalry with former President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

He made no mention of the Kurdish-led coalition, which holds about a quarter of Syria’s territory in many oil-rich regions.

Nor did Trump address the US troops currently in Syria, estimated to comprise fewer than 1,000 service members scattered across bases in places like Omar Oil Field and al-Shaddadi.