There are concerns that Assad’s government could be replaced with a hardline Islamist regime, according to the outlet
Western and Arab countries are reportedly concerned that the fall of the Assad government in Syria could mean that more hardline Islamist forces could attempt to seize power in the country, according to Reuters.
Over the weekend, Syrian opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadist militants seized control over major cities in the country, including Damascus, and deposed former Syrian President Bashar Assad, who left the country and has been granted asylum in Russia.
However, according to several diplomats and analysts who have spoken to Reuters, the US, Israel, and other Arab powers in the region fear that the lack of a clear authority in Syria could lead to instability and extremism.
“There is strong fear inside and outside the region of the power vacuum that Assad’s sudden collapse may cause,” Abdelaziz al-Sager, the director of the Gulf Research Center think tank, told Reuters, pointing to past civil wars that followed the toppling of the governments of Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011.
One Western diplomat also told the outlet that given how fragmented the opposition forces are, there is currently no clear plan for how to rule Syria and manage its complex population which consists of multiple sects and ethnic groups.
The diplomat expressed fear that Syria could descend into lawlessness, which could allow for the flourishing of extremist groups such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
However, Israeli experts believe that despite the risk of chaos engulfing Syria, the fall of Assad’s government could still prove to be beneficial for the Jewish state.
“Despite concerns over the rise of extremist elements near the border and the lack of a clear authority in charge, the military capabilities of the rebels, in their various forms, aren’t comparable to those of Iran and its proxies,” Carmit Valensi, a senior researcher at an Israeli think tank, told Reuters.
US President Joe Biden has also celebrated Assad’s fall, but has acknowledged that the sudden change of power created a period of “risk and uncertainty” for Syria. Over the past two days, US forces have conducted dozens of airstrikes against IS positions in Syria to prevent the terrorist group from reasserting itself.
Washington has also supported Israel’s advance past the demilitarized buffer zone with Syria at the Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces claimed that the incursion is meant to prevent Syrian-based militants from taking over the border areas and launching an offensive into Israel in the future.
