Summary

The fall of Damascus and the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have sidelined Russia and Iran while elevating Turkey’s influence in shaping Syria’s future.

Diplomats from Russia and Iran, who had sought to mediate a political solution, were rendered irrelevant as anti-Assad forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took the capital.

Russia faces humiliation over its failed support for Assad, while Iran’s regional strategy, including its land corridor to Lebanon, is in disarray.

Turkey, leveraging its ties with Syrian militias, now emerges as the key external power in post-Assad Syria.