Erdogan Urges Islamist Rebels to Press On as Assad Struggles to Stay in Power

Erdogan stated on Friday, as reported by Reuters, that he hoped for the advance to proceed smoothly without any complications.

The objective is the capital city of Damascus, where Syrian dictator Bashar Assad resides.

Unfortunately, the region is facing problematic advances that we do not desire.

The U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is part of the rebel force, is likely the target of Erdogan's comments about terrorist entities within the insurgency.

The purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems by Turkey has caused outrage among many U.S. lawmakers due to its reported support of terrorist groups like Hamas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that HTS is now close to reaching the crucial city of Homs in the ongoing Syrian civil war.

On Friday, SOHR reported that HTS and its allies were just one kilometer away from the military academy in Homs.

The military training facility in Homs is the largest in the war-torn country.

The rapid-fire seizure of Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, by HTS and its coalition partners has upended an already volatile Middle East. Countries within the Fertile Crescent region, including Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, are immersed in wars and conflicts of varying intensity.

The IDF has increased its military presence in the Golan Heights, which borders Syria, and is deploying troops along the border to monitor developments and prepare for any eventuality. The IDF will not tolerate any threats to the Israeli border and will take action to protect the state.

Jordan shut its Jabber border with Syria as rebel forces approached those regions.

According to Emad Bouzo, a Syrian American physician and political commentator, the images emerging from Homs are strikingly similar to those that were released from Hama prior to its liberation. Specifically, the large car convoys leaving the city, the low morale of the regime's army, and the demographic makeup of the villages and towns separating Homs and Hama all point to a history of opposition to the regime. As a result, it is challenging to predict what will transpire in the near future, although the current military balance favors the Syrian opposition.

It appears that Russia will make every effort to prevent the city from falling to the opposition, and if it cannot do so through military means, it will attempt to pressure Turkey for a cease-fire to allow the regime to regroup.

The HTS coalition will face off against the U.S.-classified sponsors of terrorism, Iran's regime, and its ally Hezbollah in a high-profile military campaign in Homs.

The U.S. also considers Syria’s regime a state-sponsor of terrorism.

Homs is the "primary transportation center for Iranian militias," according to Bouzo. He pointed out that Hezbollah has complete control over areas such as Talbisehm, a town in the Homs province.

"Homs serves as a vital link for the Syrian regime to reach the Syrian coast, where Russian military bases are located. Additionally, it is the primary source of the Alawite sect, which supports the Assad family's rule, alongside Damascus. As a result, it is anticipated that the regime, Hezbollah, and Russia will take all necessary measures to maintain control over this city."

The conflict in Syria is largely driven by the power struggle between two Islamist nations in the Middle East: Sunni Turkey and Shiite Iran. Since 2011, Iran has supported Assad's regime as it violently suppressed the growing pro-democracy movement in Syria.

Jacob Rosen, the former Israeli Ambassador to Jordan and an expert on Syria's intricate demographics, stated on Planet Chronicle Digital that Iran and Turkey are the dominant forces seeking to reclaim their former empires' dominance over vast regions of the Middle East.

According to Rosen, a proficient Arabic speaker, if Turkey gains control of Syria, it will be able to surround the Kurds. For years, Turkey has waged attacks against pro-U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Rosen believes that Erdogan's endorsement of the HTS offensive on Friday was a message to Iran's regime, warning them not to act foolishly.

The major concern for the U.S., European Union, and Israel is determining who will rescue Assad, Rosen inquired.

Russia, Hezbollah, and Iran previously aided Assad in avoiding defeat, but now Russia is engrossed in a prolonged conflict in Ukraine.

The Syrian revolt against Assad, which was reignited in Daraa, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising, has spread to the southern Syrian province. Rosen described the events in Daraa as "mini-rebellions" and stated that some Syrian regime forces defected.

The importance of Syria for the heartland of the Mideast is highlighted by Rosen, who referenced the late British journalist, Patrick Seale, in his statement. According to Seale, the hegemony of the Middle East depends on who will rule Syria.

The media's emphasis on the opposition to the regime being Islamic does not alter the fact that the opposing side is also Islamic militias, specifically Shiite ones backed by both Iran and Russia. Despite this, the Syrian regime is accused of committing war crimes against its own people, including the use of chemical weapons.

The U.S. has approximately 900 troops in Syria as part of a coalition to combat the Islamic State, but the government clarifies that it is not participating in the Syrian civil war.

Bouzo stated that the recent events present the United States, under its new administration, with an opportunity to resolve the Syrian crisis by pressuring all parties to implement a political solution through Resolution 2254 and establish a transitional governing body to manage the country, which has endured significant suffering in the past years.

Reuters contributed to this report.