After over a decade of devastating civil war, the Assad regime collapsed in December 2024 following a rapid offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia on December 8, 2024. Syria now faces a fragile transition period with competing armed factions, a power vacuum in Damascus, ongoing ISIS insurgency in the eastern desert, Turkish-backed forces clashing with Kurdish SDF in the northeast, and Israeli airstrikes targeting weapons depots and military infrastructure. The new transitional government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Jolani) struggles to assert authority across the fractured country.
HTS-led forces entered Damascus after a lightning 12-day offensive. President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, ending 54 years of Assad family rule. Prisoners were released from Saydnaya prison and celebrations erupted across Syria.
Israeli Air Force conducted hundreds of airstrikes across Syria targeting naval vessels, air defense systems, ammunition depots, and military bases to prevent advanced weapons from falling into HTS or Iranian proxy hands. Israeli ground forces briefly occupied the Mount Hermon buffer zone.
Turkish-backed Syrian National Army intensified attacks on SDF-held territories in Tishrin Dam area and along the Euphrates. Clashes displaced thousands of civilians. The US called for restraint to protect its Kurdish partners in the anti-ISIS coalition.
Islamic State conducted a series of ambushes and IED attacks against Syrian transitional forces and SDF units in the Badia desert east of Palmyra. At least 40 fighters were killed across multiple incidents, raising alarms about an ISIS comeback amid the security vacuum.
An international conference in Brussels pledged over $7 billion in humanitarian aid and early reconstruction support for Syria. The EU and Gulf states conditioned long-term funding on inclusive governance and a credible transitional justice process. HTS designation as a terrorist organization remains a key obstacle to full normalization.