Geopolitical Turbulence: Drone Deliveries Fuel Syrian Conflict

In a surprising turn of events, Syrian fighters received extensive drone support and other secret assistance from Ukrainian intelligence services prior to their decisive offensive against Bashar al-Assad. This was reported by the Washington Post, citing unnamed sources familiar with Ukraine's military activities. According to the reports, Ukrainian intelligence officers sent about 20 drone operators and 150 drones with first-person view technology to support the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). This assistance occurred approximately four to five weeks before the fall of Assad. The Russian government had previously claimed without evidence that the rebels had received drones from Ukraine and corresponding training, an accusation Kiev firmly denied. HTS, once an offshoot of al-Qaeda, has embarked on establishing an interim administration after the years-long civil war that tore the country apart. The Assad regime, which has kept the Arab nation trapped in a repressive police state for over five decades, now faces fundamental upheavals. Russia, entangled in its own conflict since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, remains a key ally of Assad. Deploying its military capabilities, Moscow intervened in favor of Assad in 2015 and has recently conducted airstrikes against the rebels. However, Russian military bloggers warned of the consequences of Assad's fall, which could pose a threat to two strategically important Russian military facilities in Syria and Moscow's overall presence in the Middle East.