Conflicts to Watch in The New Millennium

Army advance in Hama province and Ghouta; Turkish intervention in Afrin
(January–March 2018)
Douma chemical attack; U.S.-led missile strikes; Southern Syria offensive (April
2018 – August 2018)
Idlib demilitarization; Trump announces US withdrawal; Iraq strikes ISIL targets
(September–December 2018)
ISIL attacks continue; US states conditions of withdrawal (January 2019–present)
Belligerents and Foreign Involvement
There are numerous factions, both foreign and domestic, involved in the Syrian Civil
War, including ISIL, the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army, pro-government Christian
militias, al-Qaeda in Syria, Kurdish YPG militia, or Shia sectarian militias from Iran, Iraq
and Afghanistan, many of whom are aligned against each other. Both the Syrian
government and the opposition have received support, militarily and diplomatically, from
foreign countries leading the conflict to often be described as a proxy war.
The major parties supporting the Syrian Government are Iran, Russia and the
Lebanese Hezbollah. Syrian rebel groups received political, logistic and military support
from the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Britain, France, Israel and
the Netherlands. Under the aegis of operation Timber Sycamore and other clandestine
activities, CIA operatives and U.S. special operations troops have trained and armed
nearly 10,000 rebel fighters at a cost of $1 billion a year since 2012.
Chemical Weapons
Advanced Weaponry and Tactics
Sarin, mustard agent and chlorine gas have been used during the conflict. Numerous
casualties led to an international reaction, especially the 2013 Ghouta attacks. A UN
fact-finding mission was requested to investigate alleged chemical weapons attacks. In
four cases UN inspectors confirmed the use of sarin gas. In August 2016, a confidential
report by the United Nations and the OPCW explicitly blamed the Syrian military
of Bashar al-Assad for dropping chemical weapons (chlorine bombs) on the towns of
Talmenes in April 2014 and Sarmin in March 2015 and ISIS for using sulfur mustard on
the town of Marea in August 2015.
The United States and the European Union have accused the Syrian government of
conducting several chemical attacks. Following the 2013 Ghouta attacks and
international pressure, the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons began. In 2015 the
UN mission disclosed previously undeclared traces of sarin compounds in a "military
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