Syrian opposition factions advanced rapidly and entered districts of Aleppo city on Friday in a shock offensive against regime forces, who unexpectedly retreated and lost strategic positions, including large parts of the M5 highway.
Abdurrahman Mustafa, the head of the Syrian Interim Government, was a relatively obscure figure with little background in politics before 2014. Today, he sits at the top of Syria’s political opposition, bolstered by major Turkish support. How did his star rise?
The Syrian political opposition’s highest body elected Hadi al-Bahra as its new president this month, in a process overshadowed by leaks, controversy and allegations he was hand-picked by an influential group of politicians linked to Ankara.
The issue of human rights is one card the Syrian opposition can play to obstruct moves towards normalization with Assad, but the end scenarios may not be in its favor, with a “piecemeal” political settlement not in accordance with Resolution 2254.
By targeting top civilian and military leaders who were the cornerstones of local negotiating committees through a series of assassinations, Damascus has successfully marginalized Daraa’s bargaining power.
The relations between post-revolution political blocs, assemblies and platforms have been characterized by internal conflicts that reflect regional and international polarization.
In March and with no explanation, the Syrian regime closed four of the five crossings with the Kurdish-dominated AANES-administered areas, resulting in a spike in the prices of essential commodities in northeast Syria.
