Syria in 2018-2019

[AdamG]

In the night of December 25th, The Israeli Air Force (IAF) delivered its first clandestine strike on Syrian targets after President Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops. As assessed in our latest policy impact analysis and recently reinforced by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the U.S. withdrawal will force Israel to ramp up its counter-Iran operations in Syria. The “Christmas raid” is as much a political statement as it is a continuation of the over 100 Israeli covert airstrikes in Syria. The Syrian Air Defense Forces (SADF) showed a mixed performance, but managed to intercept the majority of Israel’s air-launched missiles.

https://t-intell.com/2018/12/30/isra...DyA9BJSLEw6Nbo

[davidbfpo]

I rarely spot their products, this however looks good if you are Syria focused. It starts with:

In just a few days of fighting with Turkey-backed rebels, jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has raised its stake in the last opposition-held area in northern Syria. Within a week of launching attacks on a rival Islamist faction, HTS has expanded its control in the north, capturing most of western Aleppo Province, including the key towns of Darat Izza and Atarib.
The infighting in the north is not unprecedented - clashes between rebels and HTS have been intermittent over the past two years.
But the speed in which HTS has captured territory in the north, and the silence of key regional players – mainly Turkey - over these developments raises questions about what is happening behind the scenes. It also puts one of the last rebel areas in Syria at risk of a ground offensive by pro-government factions who may argue that they need to oust jihadists.

Link:https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/product/c200jfy0

[davidbfpo]

Via: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46859164

[davidbfpo]

Via The Soufan Group a brief on Idlib Province which starts with:

Over the last week, HTS, operating under cover of what is thought to be its administrative wing, referred to as ‘the Salvation Government,’ has routed or negotiated the surrender of the last remaining ‘moderate’ rebel coalition, the Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF). The NLF receives significant support from Turkey, and its collapse suggests that either Turkey cannot help the NLF enough to prevent its demise, or that the Erdogan government chooses not to for reasons having to do more with the Kurds and Manbij.

Link:http://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrie...dlib-province/

Elsewhere the BBC reports on threats by President Trump to Turkey.
Link:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46859164

I am pretty sure there are no US forces in Idlib Province.