Ba'athism

In a lightning offensive Syrian rebels seized Aleppo and are threatening other regime-held territories in the country. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies, Russia and Iran, pledged unconditional support to his government on Monday, while a number of other countries invested in Syria - including Turkey, Israel and the US - are watching developments closely.

The US and the United Arab Emirates are discussing between them the possibility of lifting sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad if he walks away from Iran and cuts off arms routes to Lebanon and Hezbollah, five people with knowledge of the talks told Reuters.

The Syrian military and its ally Russia conducted deadly joint air raids on areas under the control of opposition forces on Monday, with the Syrian opposition army continuing its operation in Tel Rifaat.

Thousands of Syrian opposition forces took over Aleppo over the weekend, establishing positions in the country's second city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province.

They faced little to no resistance from government troops, according to fighters and activists.

Eight European Union member-states, including Greece, have launched a diplomatic initiative to establish informal communication channels between the EU and Bashar al-Assad's Syrian administration.

Türkiye's National Security Council (MGK) reiterated on Thursday that clearing Syrian territory of separatist terrorists would foremost safeguard Syria's interests and ensure lasting peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Moscow, the Kremlin announced on Thursday.

In the talks, the first since March 2023, Putin highlighted his concerns over the situation in the Middle East, which he said was "tending to escalate," in opening remarks between the pair which were aired on state television on Thursday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Assad have recently signaled that they are interested in restoring diplomatic ties that have been ruptured for more than a decade.

Turkey will extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "any time" for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed openness to restoring diplomatic relations with Syria, following a call from his counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, for improved ties between the nations.