Syria 2024: accelerating events end with radical developments

The year 2024 for Syria began through the gateway of economic crises that burdened its citizens with the decisions of Bashar al-Assad's government, which has turned into a government seeking to collect taxes and gather money from the citizens.

Israel has also increased its attacks within Syrian territory to pursue Iranian-aligned forces and groups, while Assad has clung to the alliance with Iran and Hezbollah, which dashed the hopes of Arab and Western countries for his potential cooperation with these efforts. This facilitated Turkey and the armed factions to launch an operation that led to a fundamental change in the Syrian trajectory, namely the fall of the Ba'ath regime.

The course of events and developments in Syria was as follows:

 The regime is heading towards increasing the financial burdens on citizens, and the diplomatic rounds continue to fail.

January 25 - The 21st round of Astana talks on Syria concluded in the Kazakh capital with the presence of delegations from Russia, Turkey, and Iran, without reaching any agreements.

April 1 - Israel launched an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, resulting in the death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and several Iranian officials.

April 15 - Before the Syrians in government-controlled areas could recover from the shock of Eid al-Fitr costs, they woke up to a new government decision to raise fuel prices for the seventh time since the beginning of 2024.

April 22 - The invitation by the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, to hold the ninth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee meetings in Geneva failed.

May 16 - Bashar al-Assad headed to the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to participate in the proceedings of the 33rd ordinary Arab Summit without delivering a speech.

May 30 - Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met with Bashar al-Assad, who arrived in the capital Tehran to offer condolences for the death of President Ibrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian about two weeks after their deaths in a helicopter crash.

July 5 - The Syrian presidency mourned Luna al-Shibl, the media advisor to President Bashar al-Assad, after she was involved in a horrific car accident a few days earlier, leading to her hospitalization and subsequent death. Many narratives circulated around this incident regarding the possibility of the Syrian regime being behind her assassination.

July 15 - Parliamentary elections were held in the areas controlled by Bashar al-Assad's government. However, the elections did not receive much attention from the Syrian circles.

July 15 - Bashar al-Assad said he would not meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unless the two countries could focus on the core issues represented by Ankara's "support for terrorism" and the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory.

August 28 - The "Regulatory Authority for Communications" in the previous regime announced an increase in the prices of fixed-line telephone services and fixed internet by 30% - 35%, in a new decision that significantly raises the financial burdens and communication expenses.

Armed factions are preparing for an attack on Aleppo, and Assad is shattering the hopes of Arab and Western countries to distance themselves from Iran.

September 10 - Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, after closing it for 12 years since the beginning of the Syrian crisis.

October 13 - Reports circulated that factions led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham are preparing to launch an imminent battle to seize control of the city of Aleppo, the largest city in northern Syria and its economic capital.

October 14 - The Syrian regime government raised the prices of petroleum derivatives by varying percentages within its controlled areas, marking the fourth adjustment in less than two months.

On October 20, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met Bashar al-Assad in the capital, Damascus, and conveyed a "verbal message" from Jordanian King Abdullah II.

November 11 - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Bashar al-Assad on the sidelines of the extraordinary Arab Islamic summit, hosted by the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

November 11 - Bashar al-Assad delivered a speech during the Riyadh summit, in which he again spoke about supporting what are called resistance movements, led by Hezbollah. This was understood as a setback for the efforts of regional and international powers to persuade Assad to distance himself from Iran.

November 13 - Russia, Turkey, and Iran expressed their concern at the conclusion of the 22nd round of Astana meetings in the Kazakh capital regarding Israel's efforts to expand the conflict in the region.

November 14 - Russia stated that the conditions are not yet in place for a meeting between the Syrian president and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite recent statements from the Turkish side reflecting a desire to improve relations.

Israel intensifies its raids in Syria, factions launch their attacks, and Iran mobilizes.

November 14 - The Israeli army intensified its targeting of sites that are mostly affiliated with what is known as the "Axis of Resistance," following airstrikes the day before that hit 8 sites in Qusayr, in the Homs countryside.

November 15 - Bashar al-Assad discussed with Ali Larijani, the senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the "Israeli escalation" in the region and the necessity to stop the ongoing "aggression" against Palestine and Lebanon, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency.

November 15 - The Syrian news agency "SANA" reported that Israel launched new airstrikes on the Mezzeh area in Damascus.

November 17 - Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, during his visit to the Syrian capital Damascus, stated that Iran "will continue to support the Resistance Front and the Syrian government," describing this support as "strategic."

November 27 - The so-called Military Operations Administration in Idlib, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, announced the start of a military operation against the Syrian regime forces called "Deterring Aggression."

November 30 - The regular forces announced that the armed Syrian factions managed to enter large parts of the neighborhoods of Aleppo city, forcing the army to redeploy.

December 2 - The Iranian channel "Al-Alam" reported President Masoud Bezhikyan as saying that his country will do everything in its power to confront the militants in Syria.

December 3 - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions are "at the gates" of the city of Hama in central Syria, while the regular army confirmed that it has sent reinforcements.

 December 5 - The factions announced their entry into the city of Hama and the control of neighborhoods within it, coinciding with the announcement by the government Ministry of Defense of a withdrawal from the city. The Minister of Defense in the regime, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, emphasized that what happened in the city of Hama was a "temporary tactical measure." He said in a video statement, "The Syrian forces are still in the vicinity of the fourth largest city in Syria, located in the center of the country."

December 6 - The foreign ministers of the Syrian regime, Iraq, and Iran held discussions in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to address the rapid developments in Syria, where armed factions have entered the outskirts of the city of Homs, in the center of the country.

The ambiguity of Moscow's and Assad's positions and the fall of the Assad regime

December 7 - The so-called guarantor countries (Russia, Turkey, Iran) held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the attacks launched by factions led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham on the Syrian regime forces, and it became clear from the final statement that there were conflicting opinions.

December 7 - Armed factions entered the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday, paving the way for a complete assault on the capital, Damascus.

December 7 - Opposition factions in Syria announced their control over the city of Daraa, marking a new blow to the Syrian government forces amid the rapid and surprising developments that have been ongoing for a week.

December 8 - Iranian President Masoud Bezhikian emphasized the necessity of maintaining Syria's unity and sovereignty, stating that its people are the ones who decide the future of the country and its political system.

December 8 - The Syrian armed factions announced that they have begun the "encirclement" phase of Damascus, while the government Ministry of Defense denied the withdrawal of army forces from areas surrounding the capital.

December 8 - Armed factions in Syria seized the radio and television building in Al-Omari Square in Damascus on Sunday and issued a statement declaring their control over Damascus and the overthrow of the Ba'ath regime after Bashar al-Assad left the country.

Early criticisms of the new administration in Damascus and the emergence of opposition factions.

December 10 - Mohamed Bashir announced in a televised statement that he has been officially tasked with leading a transitional government in Syria until March 1, 2025.

December 14 - The head of the Druze community in As-Suwayda and southern Syria, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, emphasized the necessity of holding a comprehensive national conference to work on adopting a new constitution. He stressed the need for an administrative decentralized system with a separation of powers. In his speech, al-Hajri said, "We are not ready to be under any factional, party, religious, or regional authority. We will not allow anyone to seize our freedom, dignity, and victory from all the old and expired constraints."

December 14 - The Arab Ministerial Contact Group on Syria, in its meeting in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, affirmed its support for the Syrian people and its commitment to providing all assistance and backing during this transitional phase, respecting their will and choice, and called for the formation of a new inclusive transitional governing body.

December 21 - Despite the fact that only a few days have passed since the fall of the Assad regime, the first signs of new opposition currents to the new administration have begun to emerge, such as protests in Damascus demanding a civil and secular state. In contrast, statements from Alawite Community leaders in the coastal region warned against the situation slipping into the unknown, following reports of revenge operations carried out by Syrian factions, especially in the coastal areas of Syria.

December 22 - The so-called new administration in Syria appointed Marhaf Abu Qasra, known as "Abu Hassan al-Hamawi," as Minister of Defense in the caretaker government. He is one of the military leaders in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. As'ad Hassan al-Shaibani was also appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and he is also one of the prominent leaders in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.

T/Satt.

ANHA