After six brutal years, the Syrian Civil War seems to finally be nearing its end. A new strategic reality is taking shape in the Middle East- one dominated by the rise of the Iranian regime and its proxies, who have muscled their way into the security vacuum left by the destruction of the so-called Islamic State.
But tensions between Russian planes supporting their Syrian and Iranian allies, and American forces supporting their allies against ISIS, are heating up as the proxies of both superpowers battle their deeper into the strategic province of Deir Ezzor.
Iran has now successfully created a single land route extending from its home territory, across the Arab Middle East, and toward the coast of Lebanon, which is controlled by its ally Hezbollah. The full capture of Deir Ezzor, if accomplished, will solidify this strategic coup.
The army of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad has joined with its allies Iran, Hezbollah, and various mostly Shiite militias under Iranian direction. They have advanced under close Russian air support.
Their alliance has clawed back much of Syrian territory from the fragmented collection of rebel groups who inherited the dreams, and hopeless strategic position, of the original Arab Spring revolt launched in 2011.
The mass civilian protests of those days have long since given way to a feuding array of rebel groups, now infiltrated and dominated by Islamist forces, including the remnants of ISIS in the Euphrates Valley and a resurgent Al-Qaeda linked group called Al-Nusra that holds sway in the northwest province of Idlib.
In a rare ray of hope in the conflict, the Kurds of northern Syria have been instrumental in setting up a multi-ethnic regional government, with power structures rooted in local municipal councils. The Arab, Kurdish, Assyrian and other ethnicities of the region form the bulk of infantry forces relied on by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF.
The SDF has also become known for its widespread use of female troops, unusual for the region.
With ISIS outgunned and embattled on all fronts, the race is on as the Middle East’s power players rush to gobble up what remains of the short-lived terror group’s territory. As the Washington Post notes, Dear Ezzor province is proving an important goal for all sides, and "the province has emerged as a key prize in the battle to shape the country’s postwar future.”
The region’s ever shifting balance of power continues to fluctuate as all parties seek to position themselves in the endless geopolitical game. For now, it appears that Iran has come out ahead.
