Post-Assad Syria: Regional, International Players Jockey for Position

Assad’s fall delivers a major blow to Russia, Iran, and their regional allies, while Turkey and Israel hail a new era in a country ravaged by years of conflict.

Smoke billows in the distance as damaged cars are seen at the site of Syrian regime airstrikes targeting anti-regime fighters in Aleppo, in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on Nov. 30, 2024. Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images

Following the collapse of the Syrian regime on Dec. 8, regional and international actors are scrambling to consolidate their positions in a country riven by conflict for more than a decade.

According to experts, the biggest winners are Turkey and Israel—albeit for different reasons—while Russia, Iran, and the latter’s regional allies all appear to have suffered a major blow.