Position Assessment On the Northern Syrian Battles

Position Assessment

On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the “Military Operations Administration,” encompassing factions from the Syrian National Army, the National Liberation Front, and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, launched a military campaign titled Deterring Aggression against the Assad regime’s forces and the militias aligned with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which occupy vast areas of Syria.

Despite the attacking forces’ entry into Aleppo and their advance toward Hama, the battles remain in their initial stages, making it premature to predict their military trajectory.
However, these field developments indicate the possibility of political change in the future, especially as the power balance across the region has visibly shifted since Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.

The equations have significantly changed following the substantial blows dealt to what is known as the “Axis of Resistance and Defiance.” The massive losses suffered by the “Hezbollah” terrorist organization have marked a turning point not only in Lebanon but also in Syria and the broader Arab region.

It is indisputable that the Syrian situation has long ceased to be an internal Syrian matter. The course of developments is heavily influenced by the stances of major international and regional actors in the Syrian file on one hand, and the determination of Syrians to persist in their struggle for freedom, dignity, and a political transition from authoritarianism to democracy on the other.

From its steadfast values and principles, the Syrian Democratic Alliance emphasizes the following:

  • The Syrian Democratic Alliance congratulates our people on reclaiming their areas and returning to their cities, villages, and homes.
     It affirms that the right of Syrians to deter this axis from continuing its aggression against their territories is legitimate and understandable, as it serves the interests of a large segment of Syrian society striving for stability and the opportunity to live in peace and security.
  • These battles ultimately aim to fill the void resulting from the current significant weakness of the Iran/Assad regime axis. The benefits they may bring to the Syrian people largely depend on how the reclaimed areas are managed, the regime and its allies’ responses, and finally, the positions of active international powers in the Syrian issue. Syrians have endured the brutal violence of Assad’s regime, which has devastated not just Aleppo but most Syrian cities. They have also suffered under the violations of authorities and de facto forces that have intervened even in their beliefs and daily lives.
  • As a democratic political force, the Alliance cannot participate in any military course. However, it does not overlook the effects of ongoing operations on the ground and will evaluate them as situations evolve.
  • Human life is the supreme value for the Alliance. Therefore, it calls on all warring parties to respect the obligations of international humanitarian law, avoid civilian areas, and refrain from harming civilians or their property. It urges the preservation of state institutions, their assets, and public facilities, alongside safeguarding civil peace and protecting all Syrians regardless of their ethnicities, religions, or sects.
  • While the Alliance stands by all Syrians’ right to return to their areas, from which they were unjustly displaced, it does not endorse military solutions or any violations committed by de facto authorities. The Alliance appeals to the mentioned military forces to uphold the rights of all Syrians living under their control.
  • The Alliance welcomes the expulsion of the authoritarian regime’s forces and the supporting sectarian terrorist militias from any Syrian land. It insists on the civilian administration of liberated areas, with local police forces maintaining security.
  • The Alliance emphasizes the necessity of removing military forces from cities and villages and positioning them outside these areas wherever feasible and militarily/security required. This avoids providing an excuse for their destruction, as the regime and its allies have done before.
  • The Alliance believes that the safest path to reach all Syrians lies in all forces aligned with the revolution adopting an inclusive national discourse. Furthermore, areas reclaimed from Assad’s forces and the supporting sectarian terrorist militias should be managed by Syrian civilian hands, in accordance with the core values of the revolution, grounded in the legitimate rights enshrined in international covenants and charters.
  • The Syrian Democratic Alliance affirms Syria’s unity and opposes leveraging the battle for non-national Syrian interests or foreign dominance. It calls on Syrian political forces to prepare for a comprehensive national conference, the prospects of which seem favorable in the near future.
  • The only solution acceptable to Syrians is a political solution, ultimately transitioning from authoritarianism to democracy and building a state of rights and equal citizenship.
    This goal remains the Alliance’s steadfast commitment, partially reflected in international decisions on Syria, especially the Geneva I Declaration and Resolutions 2118 and 2254, including their annexes.

Syrian Democratic Alliance

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