Image is of Assad and his family.
After less than two weeks of retreating with few shots fired and little resistance, the SAA has retreated into, well, a state of non-existence. This thereby ends a conflict that has been simmering for over a decade. With the end of this conflict, another begins: the carving up of what used to be Syria between Israel and Turkey, with perhaps the odd Syrian faction getting a rump state here and there. Both Israel and Turkey have begun military operations, with Israel working on expanding their territory in Syria and bombing military bases to ensure as little resistance as possible.
Israeli success in Syria is interesting to contrast against their failures in Gaza and Lebanon. A short time ago, Israel failed to make significant territorial progress in Lebanon due to Hezbollah's resistance despite the heavy hits they had recently taken, and was forced into a ceasefire with little to show for the manpower and equipment lost and the settlers displaced. The war with Lebanon was fast, but still slow enough to allow a degree of analysis and prediction. In contrast, the sheer speed of Syria's collapse has made analysis near-impossible beyond obvious statements like "this is bad" and "Assad is fucking up"; by the time a major Syrian city had fallen, you barely had time to digest the implications before the next one was under threat.
There is still too much that we don't know about the potential responses (and non-responses) of other countries in the region - Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and Russia, for example. I think that this week and the next will see a lot of statements made by various parties and an elucidation of how the conflict will progress. The only thing that seems clear is that we are in the next stage of the conflict, and perhaps have been, in retrospect, since Nasrallah's assassination. This stage has been and will be far more chaotic as the damage to Israel compounds and they are willing to take greater and greater risks to stay in power. It will also involve Israel causing destruction all throughout the region, rather than mostly localizing it in Gaza and southern Lebanon. Successful gambles like with Syria may or may not outweigh the unsuccessful ones like with Lebanon. This is a similar road to the one apartheid South Africa took, but there are also too many differences to say if the destination will be the same.
What is certain is that Assad's time in power can be summarized as a failure, both to be an effective leader and to create positive economic conditions. His policies were actively harmful to internal stability for no real payoff and by the end, all goodwill had been fully depleted. By the end, the SAA did not fight back; not because of some wunderwaffen on the side of HST, but because there was nothing to fight for, and internal cohesion rapidly disintegrated.
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Israel-Palestine Conflict
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel's destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
Breaking News: President Assad Declares Victory and Steps Down, Leaving Syria to a Bright Future
Damascus, Syria – In a moment of historic significance, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has officially declared victory over the rebel forces, announcing that the mission to restore peace and sovereignty to Syria has been successfully completed. After more than a decade of conflict, President Assad has fulfilled all the goals he set out to achieve and has made the monumental decision to step down, leaving Syria to the hands of its people and their future.
In a speech delivered from the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Assad expressed his gratitude to the Syrian people, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), and his allies in Russia and Iran for their unwavering support throughout the war. "Today, Syria stands united and stronger than ever. We have defeated those who sought to divide our nation and will now turn our attention to rebuilding our beloved homeland," said Assad, his voice filled with resolve. "I have achieved everything I set out to do, and now it is time for me to step aside and allow the next generation to lead this great nation into a new era of peace and prosperity."
President Assad’s departure marks the end of his leadership, but not the end of the Syrian government’s commitment to its people. The government has emphasized that the transition of power will be orderly, and Assad’s resignation is a voluntary and strategic move that signals the completion of his mission. The President stressed that Syria is now a unified, stable country, free from foreign influence and internal conflict.
Military experts have confirmed that the Syrian Arab Army remains in full control of all major cities, including Damascus, and that the last remaining pockets of insurgency have been thoroughly eradicated. Rebel factions, which had been emboldened by foreign support, are now entirely defeated, and the Syrian government’s victory is indisputable.
“President Assad has led Syria through one of the most challenging periods in its history, and now, as a leader with his nation’s future secured, he leaves with dignity and honor,” stated a high-ranking government official in a recent briefing. “This is the moment we have all been waiting for. Syria is no longer a country at war. We are rebuilding our nation.”
With the war officially declared over, President Assad will soon depart Syria to focus on personal endeavors, leaving the task of reconstruction and national reconciliation to the next generation of leaders. Sources within the government assure that the transition will be smooth, and the legacy of President Assad’s leadership will live on in the form of a unified, stable Syria.
Syria’s allies, including Russia and Iran, have expressed full support for the President’s decision, with Russian President Vladimir Putin issuing a statement praising Assad’s "incredible leadership and dedication to Syria’s sovereignty." Iran’s Supreme Leader also congratulated Assad on his victory and assured continued support for the Syrian government.
As Syria begins this new chapter, citizens in Damascus and throughout the country are optimistic about the future. “We have endured so much, but now we can rebuild,” said a local resident of Damascus. “We owe so much to President Assad, and we are ready for a brighter future.”
In his final remarks, Assad expressed confidence that Syria would emerge stronger than ever. "This is not the end, but the beginning of Syria’s renaissance. We will prosper, we will rebuild, and we will remain united forever."
Stay tuned for more updates on this historic transition and the future of Syria.
Report compiled by: Syrian News Agency (SNA)
I don't believe my lying eyes