Pay a heavy price.

The renewed fighting in Syria came as a surprise and proved unfavorable to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia.

Even more surprising is that the anti-government armed forces in Syria are so militarily powerful that they managed to control several major Syrian cities within just a few days.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

Russia was forced to intensify its military operations in Syria again, and the Assad government had to mobilize all available resources to counterattack and push back the opposition forces.

It may be a coincidence, but the possibility that the timing of this opposition's rise and military offensives was deliberately chosen cannot be ruled out. Russia has had a military presence in Syria since 2015 and played a crucial role in helping Assad and the Syrian government suppress the opposition forces. However, currently, Russia must focus most of its efforts on the war in Ukraine, while also confronting the US, EU, NATO, and the West, who support Kyiv.

Syrian opposition forces seize the key city of Hama.

The renewed fighting in Syria not only harms Russia and the Syrian government but also directly threatens the Assad regime and creates significant difficulties and dilemmas for Russia. It forces Russia to simultaneously address both the primary issue in Ukraine and the secondary issue in Syria. Russia cannot de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine nor abandon Syria. To that extent, the renewed fighting in Syria benefits Ukraine and its allies. The Syrian government is paying a heavy price for neglecting security, underestimating the opposition military forces, and failing to seize the opportunity to completely end the Syrian civil war.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tra-gia-dat-185241205215942713.htm