President-elect Trump on Monday described the recent fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime as an “unfriendly takeover” orchestrated by Turkey.
“From the conference in Florida, he expressed admiration for Turkey’s strategic moves in taking over without much bloodshed. He also criticized Assad for his brutal actions against children,” stated the speaker at the press conference.
Following the swift advances of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in western Syria, Assad sought refuge in Russia a little over a week ago, starting from their offensive on Nov. 27, where they captured Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and eventually Damascus.
Rebel forces seized Mengh Airbase and the city of Tel Rifaat in the Aleppo countryside on Dec. 1, 2024. (Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Last week, a truce deal was arranged by the United States between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) concerning the city of Manbij in the northeast. The SDF coalition forces agreed to pull out after facing attacks since Nov. 27, as reported by Reuters.
But sources told Fox News Digital on Monday that negotiations relating to the cease-fire had collapsed and that the SNA had begun building up military forces west of the Kurdish town of Kobani – roughly 35 miles east of Manbij – in an apparent threat to resume combat operations.
The terms of the cease-fire remain unclear, and neither the White House nor the State Department responded to Fox News Digital’s questions.
According to a statement released by the SDF, the mediation efforts by the U.S. failed to establish a permanent truce in Manbij-Kobani regions due to Turkey’s “evasion to accept key points,” including the safe transfer of civilians and Manbij fighters.
“Despite U.S. efforts to stop the war, Turkey and its mercenary militias have continued to escalate over the last period,” the SDF said.
A spokesperson for Turkey’s U.N. Mission did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“The re-eruption of tensions around Kobani underlines the extent to which Assad’s fall has ‘opened the gates’ for Turkey and its SNA proxies in northern Syria,” Charles Lister, director of the Syria and countering terrorism and extremism programs at the Middle East Institute (MEI), told Fox News Digital. “For the first time, they’re free to act without a green light from Assad or Russia.”
Anti-regime fighters stand on the roadside as displaced Syrian Kurds drive vehicles loaded with belongings on the Aleppo-Raqqa highway, fleeing Aleppo, on Dec. 2, 2024. (Rami Al Sayed/AFP via Getty Images)
The dynamic between the SDF and SNA forces, backed by Washington and Ankara, respectively, has long proved difficult to maneuver given that both the U.S. and Turkey are allies in NATO.
“After the loss of Tel Rifat and Manbij in recent weeks, the only possible obstacle to further SDF losses is the presence of U.S. troops – but Turkey’s role within NATO has always limited U.S. options,” Lister explained.
“[U.S. Central Command Gen. Michael’ Kurilla’s recent visit and the SDF’s willingness to cede Manbij spoke to the unprecedentedly isolated position the SDF currently faces,” he added in reference to a visit Kurilla made to Syria last week. “If the SDF is going to survive these challenges, it’s going to need to be extremely flexible, willing to concede on major issues, and rely heavily on U.S. diplomacy with Turkey.”
