Unknown; Assad is a Russian ally but that means almost nothing in the context of the Middle East snafu we’ve been stirring for the last 50+ years.
There is no coup in process because Aleppo is not Damascus. The "rebels" are foreign, not Syrian. A decade ago, the mercenaries were recruited from many countries by Western intelligence, because Assad is socialist, the same as Saddam Hussein was. A similar recruitment went on for Libyan "rebels," while the French army did the real fighting in Libya. Turkey now sponsors some of the "rebels" stationed next to Turkey.
It has been led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as well as allied factions backed by Turkey. More than likely Sunni factions.
Reports coming in (unconfirmed) that a plane with Assad on board was shot down over rebel territory. I know some people on the anti war side of politics who felt that Assad was given a raw deal by the press and a lot of the accusations against him were in an attempt to bolster support for regime change in Syria, which never really took off. I'm rather indifferent to him and am more worried about what comes next. I remember reading "Blind Into Baghdad" years ago and a part of the book goes into resolving local gang disputes in the aftermath, to restore order, and Bush sent these low level pencil pushers, sometimes even without translators. Negligence does not begin to describe it.
No one except Tulsi Gabbard is sorry to see Assad gone. Obvious question is what happens next. Good leadership about as rare as hen's teeth in Mideast.
Assad has asylum in Russia. Probably the best result for him, all things considered. Who fills the vacuum left behind?
This is a Power Play by Turkey to take advantage of the degrading of Hezbollah & Iran having their ring of Fire around Israel weakened. I see this as a positive for Turkey and Israel. And, an effort to neutralize Irans influence and nuclear capabilities.
Do people finally see and realize that al-Qaeda and ISIS are instruments of the west? Neither have attacked Israel. One "supposedly" attacked the U.S. but we're helping them in Syria? They were instruments used to create fear amongst Muslim nations and manufacture consent to going in and taking whatever they wanted. I'm doubtful Assad even used chemical weapons on his people the way the U.S. kept telling us he did.
He didn’t. That was disproven years ago. Every indication points to…you guessed it, US backed rebels.
