The middle-east landscape changed fast when Syrian opposition forces took Damascus in a quick 12-day push. This marks the end of the Assad familys five-decade control which started way back in the 70s
The take-over wasnt random: Turkish-backed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led the charge showing Ankaras growing might in the region. This win changes the game-plan for many countries — Iran lost its path to Lebanon Russia might lose its military spots and Israel faces new questions about its borders
The quick win puts Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a strong spot: his country now has more say in Syria than Iran or Russia ever did. This might spread to nearby places too (like Lebanon and Iraq) as Iranʼs friends lose ground
Irans problems dont stop in Syria. Last fall they watched as Turkey helped Azerbaijan take back disputed land; now they worry about trade routes in the area. Its like history coming back — reminding Iran of old fights with the Ottoman Empire from hundreds of years ago
Arab countries dont like these changes much. They see it as bringing back ideas from those big protests about ten years ago that they tried to stop. Having an islamist group running Syria with Turkeys help isnt what they wanted; its exactly what they fought against
The north-south road from Aleppo to Damascus is now under new management but other parts of Syria arent fully controlled yet. Kurdish groups still hold the northeast; other forces might try to gain ground if they get help from outside. Syria could end up split like Libya if regional powers keep fighting over it