In Syria, Russian warplanes continue to bomb the jihadist rebels who this weekend took control of the country’s second largest city, Aleppo. In total, more than 400 people have been killed since the offensive began on Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, SOHR.
After taking control of Aleppo, the rebels are moving down towards the city of Hama on their way to the capital, with the aim of ousting Bashar al-Assad, who is still supported by Russia, Iran and Shia militias in the region.
– It has been very fast for the rebels to advance, says TV4’s foreign commentator Elisabet Frerot.
Russian concerns
The Syrian war flared up on the same day a ceasefire was announced in Lebanon, after being frozen for a couple of years.
Russia’s and Iran’s foreign ministers, Sergey Lavrov and Abbas Araghchi, respectively, have expressed “extreme concern” over the escalated fighting in a telephone conversation, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Several parties share that concern.
– Everything is connected in the Middle East and this shows how incredibly complicated it is now. There are many other powers in the background that have military bases in Syria. It is Iran, Russia, USA and Turkey. It is a very tense situation and it can develop into something much, much more serious, says Frerot.
– You see, for example, how Russia and Turkey have an open conflict, she continues.
Weakened allies
One reason why the war flares up again is that Assad’s allies have all been weakened in different ways, the foreign commentator believes.
– Russia is busy in Ukraine, Iran is regularly bombed by Israel and Hezbollah, which also supports Assad, is busy with the Lebanon war. Assad is quite alone in this situation and the question is how much his allies can back him up this time. It looks a bit shaky for the Assad regime, she says.
TV4’s Middle East correspondent Terese Cristianson, who is in Lebanon, explains that the conflict in Syria is among the world’s most difficult to resolve.
– Syria is perhaps the most complicated country in terms of holy and unholy alliances, both locally, regionally and globally, says Cristianson.
Risk of civil war – in Lebanon
Much can be affected by the progress of the rebels. If Assad loses power, Iran, for example, could be weakened “immensely”, explains the Middle East correspondent. The fear is palpable throughout the region.
– Here in Lebanon, people are extremely worried about what is happening in Syria. A man we met yesterday said that “my biggest concern right now is not the truce with Israel, it’s that we get a civil war spilling over from Syria that causes us to go to war with each other here in Lebanon,” says Cristianson.
– It is not an impossible scenario if this is not controlled in one way or another. It’s plague or cholera how this will go.
On Monday morning, the message came from China that the country supports the Syrian regime, in order to achieve stability in the area.
– China is willing to make positive efforts to prevent further deterioration of the situation in Syria, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a press conference.