End Of Assad Rule Reshapes Region’s Balance Of Power

Those with a vested interest in the conflict and the future of the country include, on one side, Russia and Iran – which backed Assad – and on the other, the U.S. and Turkey, which supported different rebel groups and militias.

Assad’s overthrow is widely seen as a major blow to the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance” political and military alliance that opposes Israeli and U.S. influence in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has capitalised on the power vacuum in Syria to bomb targets across the country, including military infrastructure, naval fleet, and weapons production sites, saying it aims to keep weapons away from extremists.

The overthrow followed a 13-year civil war, which started after Assad crushed pro-democracy protests. The fighting killed more than half a million people, displaced millions more, and embroiled international powers and their proxies.