TEHRAN – Following a five-year lull, terrorist violence has resurfaced in Syria with a series of attacks beginning Wednesday. Reports and evidence show the attacks are supported by Turkey and Israel. 

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied terrorist factions based in Idlib and Latakia countrysides began assaults on the northwestern Aleppo governate as soon as a ceasefire came into effect between Lebanon’s Hezbollah Resistance movement and Israel. Reports say the terrorists have so far captured about 40 percent of Aleppo, with the Syrian army appearing to have been caught off guard by the sudden attacks that were not supposed to happen under the Astana Peace Process.  

Photos and footage published by the terrorists show a big majority of them are not even Syrian, with fighters from Uzbekistan, China, and even Ukraine joining the HTS led by a figure linked to Al-Qaeda.

Fingers pointing at Turkey and Israel

"In 2017, Iran, Russia, Syria, and Turkey agreed to establish four safe zones in Syria; three were created by the end of 2018," explains West Asia expert Mohammad Reza Moradi. "However, when the other three nations aimed to secure the fourth—encompassing Idlib, Latakia, and part of Aleppo—Turkey intervened, citing humanitarian concerns," Moradi added Turkey in return, promised to prevent terrorist activity in this border region. Now, with substantial evidence pointing towards Ankara’s support of the new terrorist insurgency in Syria, it looks like Turkey has decided to blatantly violate agreements under the Astana Peace Process. 

Moradi added the HTS terrorists are part of a bigger puzzle Israel and its Western allies are trying to build. “Israel has said that it will be targeting every country associated with the Axis of Resistance. It appears that the regime and Washington managed to prepare for attacks in Syria when the Resistance was focused on developments in Gaza and Lebanon.”

Could Syria return to the dark days of the 2010s?

The renewed fighting in Aleppo presents an uncertain future. While Western and pro-Israel media outlets emphasize terrorist gains, the rapid influx of Iranian and Russian military support suggests a volatile situation with an unpredictable outcome. 

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon who recently got injured in an Israeli pager attack in the Arab country, said on Friday that the situation will not return to how it was during the 2010s, when the Syrian government had lost significant territory to Daesh terrorists backed by Barack Obama’s administration. 

“If the terrorists think they can repeat the events of the early 2010s in Aleppo, they are mistaken,” he said in an interview with Iran’s national news channel. “The Syrian government is now stronger, and the Russian government is more determined to defend Syria. The Resistance Front and Iran also continue to support the Syrian government and its people.”

The envoy explained that terrorist groups in Syria believed the war against Israel had weakened the Resistance Front and Hezbollah. “The terrorists think they can succeed at this stage, but I doubt they will even secure a relative victory,” Amani said.

In separate remarks, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf reiterated Iran's support for Syria's fight against terrorism, pledging assistance similar to that provided during the previous Takfiri insurgency.

“The new movements of Takfiri-terrorist groups are part of the plot of the U.S. and the illegitimate Zionist regime,” Qalibaf said on Friday in a post on his X account. “After defeating the Zionist regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Axis of Resistance will support the Syrian government and people against the new conspiracy like in the past.”

The former IRGC commander and powerful Iranian politician also seemed to send a warning to Turkey, urging the neighbors of Syria “to be vigilant and not to fall into their trap.”

An Iranian lawmaker, however, was more forceful in criticizing the Turkish government in remarks published on Saturday. 

“Over the past year, Takfiri forces and opponents of the Syrian government have done nothing in the defense of the oppressed people of Gaza while the Resistance has been fighting the Zionist regime. Now, with the strong support of the Turkish army and the Turkish government, they have started a terrorist operation in the name of Islam,” said Ali Khezrian on his X account. 

Given the terrorists' brutality on the ground and the tenacity of Russians and Iranians in supporting Syria, a fierce and bloody battle appears imminent and inevitable. Still, diplomatic initiatives from countries in West Asia may offer a glimmer of hope for partial resolution. Reports show Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is poised to visit Syria and Turkey next week.