President-elect Trump recently described the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria as an 'unfriendly takeover' orchestrated by Turkey. Assad fled to Russia after the al Qaeda-derived organization, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took over western Syria, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Damascus.
The future of Syria remains uncertain as the HTS, backed by the Turkey-supported Syrian National Army (SNA), now holds power. The fall of Assad marks the end of a 14-year civil war but poses a threat to the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), viewed as adversaries by Turkey.
