International, regional stakeholders vie for control in strife-torn nation
Early signs of some stability and progress in Syria have sparked cautious optimism among observers. However, experts continue to be wary about the country’s uncertain future, and the potential regional and global ramifications of its trajectory.
In a notable development, a coalition of rebel groups appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as the head of an interim government tasked with governing Syria until March 1.Bashir has pledged to establish representative governance and promote religious tolerance.
Bashir said he will bring back millions of Syrian refugees, who were forced to flee their homes during the country’s 13-year civil war. […]
Israel, in particular, appears to be capitalizing on the situation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered his troops to swiftly seize the demilitarized buffer zone that separated Israel from Syria since the 1974 disengagement agreement. Netanyahu’s office stated that troops would remain slightly beyond the buffer zone for ”strategic reasons”.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday that it had ”severely damaged” Syria’s air defenses, destroying over 90 percent of identified strategic surface-to-air missile systems. UN experts have strongly condemned Israel’s extensive military operations in Syria, asserting that these actions constitute serious violations of international law. Läs artikel