After a series of insurgent victories in cities north and south of the capital Damascus had caught foreign powers off guard and placed President Bashar al-Assad in his most precarious position in over a decade of civil war, Syrian government forces have reportedly been compelled to scramble to fortify what is left of their rapidly fraying defenses.
Despite the fact that disparate opposition forces were advancing on the strategic crossroads of Homs and threatening the capital from the south, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey convened on the outskirts of a conference in Qatar to deliberate on a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Assad is currently confronted with the most significant challenge to his 24-year rule since the 2011 uprising against his regime.
Opposition forces have capitalized on the opportunity to expand their territory in other regions of the country as his troops prioritize the defense of Damascus and other strategic areas.
Iran, Russia, Turkey, Israel, Arab governments, and the United States are all closely monitoring the conflict, as they are apprehensive about the potential for further disruption in a strategic Middle Eastern nation and their own crosscutting interests in the region.
The power dynamics that had been maintaining a rough stasis in Syria have been disrupted by the recent combat between Israel and Iranian allies such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran and Russia have not yet come to Assad’s aid, as they did in 2015 when they assisted him in suppressing the uprising with air power and proxy forces.
In recent months, Iran and the militias it supports have been subjected to an Israeli air and ground campaign in Lebanon and strikes in Syria, while Russia is preoccupied with its war effort in Ukraine.
Arab officials who were informed of the discussions reported that Tehran informed Assad earlier this week that the assistance it would provide to his regime would be restricted, attributing the retreat of his forces to Tehran.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Iran has evacuated senior commanders who were stationed in eastern Syria.
In northwest Syria, rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, emerged from the pocket of territory they controlled, reigniting the festering conflict.
The rebels are currently preparing for an assault on Homs, the final significant city on the road to Damascus from the north, after having successfully captured Aleppo and Hama.
[READ MORE: Jihadi Shock Troopers Close in on Third Major City in Syria, As Assad Government Teeters on the Brink]
