Syria (MNN) — The Assad regime in Syria has fallen after rebel forces took several major cities, including the capital Damascus. President Bashar al-Assad’s family has ruled Syria with an iron fist for decades, and his ouster has been 13 years in the making since the Arab Spring.

Syria is a major lynchpin in international dynamics across the Middle East and Eurasia. With this dramatic power shift, everything you thought you knew about the Middle East is about to change.

Samuel with Redemptive Stories says, “What has happened is a shocking course of events that’s…been worked towards by the rebels since 2011/2012; maybe even before then, really. It’s been tried many times over the history of the Assad regime.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (left) and former Iranian President Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi (right), May 8, 2022. (Wikimedia Commons)

The sudden overturn in the Syrian war was made possible by the weakening of Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, all of which were propping up Assad’s government.

Samuel says, “[The rebels] attacked shortly after the ceasefire in Lebanon, and there was no stopping them really. Once they got moving, the Assad army — due to lack of funding [and] lack of resources — just really ended up in many cases throwing down their arms and fleeing because they knew this was a fight that was not worth fighting any longer.

“Currently, the situation in Syria is that the majority of the Assad-controlled cities — so places like Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia, Damascus, and Tartus — are now all under control of the rebels.”

Assad and his family are now exiled in Moscow where they have been granted asylum by the Russian government.

Samuel explains, “The transition of government so far has been fairly subdued and smooth. There has been a lot of looting currently in places like Damascus and others where just the sheer volume of people and the lack of police presence — now that the regime has fallen — has allowed for in the midst of this chaos. But places like Aleppo and others have remained fairly stable even after the rebels have taken over.”

Meanwhile, Israeli forces are advancing into southern Syria. Israel stated it has destroyed suspected chemical weapons depots in Syria to prevent them from being used by the rebels.

(Ahill34, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Amidst the radical changes, Syrian Christians and minorities are asking, ‘Does this trade one type of oppression for another?’

“There is still significant fear as to what this might mean for them,” says Samuel. “The rebels have direct ties and connections historically to Al Qaeda. You might call them ISIS adjacent. So that reality is very concerning for the future of Syria.”

Redemptive Stories invites you to join them in meaningful prayer as God is doing something significant in the Middle East.

“Those that care about this region are taking a day of fasting and praying on December 11…on behalf of Syria. We’re also praying for protection for displaced families and vulnerable communities, that God’s peace and stability might reign in Syria.”

Pray also for Syrians seeking hope to ultimately find Jesus.

 

Header photo of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. (Photo courtesy of Dan/Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/4r8vQp)