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Fierce Competition for Supremacy in Northeast Syria

(Jerusalem Post) Jonathan Spyer - Eight separate armed forces may be discerned in northeast Syria. There is the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the U.S. Army, the Turkish Army, the Turkish-associated Sunni Islamists of the Syrian National Army (SNA), the Syrian government army (SAA), the Russians, the IRGC-supported Shia militias, and the Sunni jihadis of Islamic State. South of SDF and U.S. forces, the Iranians have carved out an area of de facto control in the area just west of the Euphrates. At the Albu Kamal border crossing, the Imam Ali base with its tunnel system for storing missiles and heavy weaponry, and in the villages around Mayadin, the Syrian government is nowhere to be found. The IRGC and its militia allies, including Lebanese Hizbullah, are the de facto ruling force there. This area has been a particular focus for air activity attributed to Israel, including an air raid on Wednesday. The good news for Israel is that it is not currently faced with a potent, focused and united enemy camp in Syria or in the region generally. Iran is a powerful enemy, Turkey a determined adversary, but both are beset by other problems requiring their urgent attention. The writer is director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.
2019-12-27 00:00:00
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