CNN reports on why rebels are taking Damascus so quickly After rebel fighters appeared near the city of Hama, the Syrian Defense Ministry ordered the army to keep its defense lines intact. But later it said that it had withdrawn troops "to protect the lives of civilians." But this claim does not seem credible to many, especially from the government, which has been devastated by a civil war for 13 years.
Analysts believe that the situation has already become "hollow" due to lack of morale, defections and corruption within the Assad forces. Especially when the rebels have reached the threshold of Homs, Chatham House director Sanam Vakil commented that the rebels' progress is a manifestation of the weakness of the Assad government. It clearly proves that there is a large support among the rebels.
In this situation, the weakness that has been visible within the Assad government has become even more apparent.
HTS, once known as an al-Qaeda affiliate, is now trying to shed its sectarian image and perhaps even change its ideology, says H. A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. He notes that a major reason for the success of the Sunni rebels in Syria in the past week is that they have been careful to build relationships with different communities. For example, when the rebels entered Shiite Muslim villages during the war, they tried to reach an agreement through negotiations rather than attacks.
Hellyer adds that if the rebels continue to treat the Alawite community in the same way, they will be more likely to succeed. It is worth noting that Alawites are a minority group among Shiite Muslims and Bashar al-Assad is a member of this community, and many of his supporters are also Alawites.
There is also evidence of increased coordination among the rebel forces. When HTS felt the need for additional forces, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army sent a group of fighters to help them. This incident could help to alleviate concerns about unity among the rebels.
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