Baladi News - Journals
The head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, is not intending to leave Idlib for the opposition factions, the Guardian newspaper wrote, but as his Russian and Iranian allies step away from the last stages of the war they leave behind a Syrian army too weak to finish the job on its own.
The regime has said a ceasefire deal in the last opposition stronghold of Idlib is a temporary measure to avoid civilian deaths, the newspaper added, but facing the prospect of a major battle without the help of Russian airpower and Iranian-backed ground militias – both appear reluctant to commit to the final battle – the stakes are higher for Syria’s depleted and demoralised army than they have been in years.
The Guardian indicated in its report that the regime is so desperate for new recruits that this summer, as the final battle for Idlib loomed, the state changed the rules for passing university exams without first telling students, in an effort to drag male students into the armed forces.
The regime’s weakness has given rebel factions in Idlib renewed confidence. “Idlib is the last place the revolution still lives,” said Mahmoud Abbi, a spokesperson for the Free Idlib police. “We have nowhere else to go. We are prepared to fight if the [ceasefire] deal breaks down.”
If Idlib’s hardline Islamist groups refuse to disarm and the ceasefire fails, a regime offensive is unlikely to feature the scorched earth tactics seen in Aleppo and Ghouta. Yet even mounting a campaign of attrition would require Assad to significantly boost his army’s ranks and morale first, finally added the newspaper.