In maps: How anti-Assad rebels took control

In conscionable 2 weeks, Syrian rebels person swept from their enclave successful the northbound westbound to seizure a drawstring of large cities, earlier reaching the superior Damascus and toppling President Bashar al-Assad 13 years aft the commencement of the country's civilian war.

In convoys of tiny vehicles and motorbikes, fighters led by the rebel radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) moved rapidly on the north-south road which forms the country's main spine to instrumentality Damascus without resistance.

But portion galore successful the state are celebrating the downfall of a household dynasty that ruled Syria with an robust fist, the aboriginal is uncertain and the concern connected the crushed remains successful flux, with a fig of antithetic rebel groups controlling antithetic parts of the country.

The autumn of the Assad authorities was brought astir by the abrupt and unexpected beforehand by HTS rebels but, though the radical controls Syria's main cities, it does not govern the full country.

Syria has for years been controlled by a patchwork of rebel groups including HTS successful Idlib and Kurdish-led groups successful the country's northbound east, immoderate of which person besides taken territory successful caller days and weeks.

None of the rebel groups volition mourn the falling of the Assad regime, but uncovering a statement implicit however to tally the state could inactive beryllium hard and successful the northbound of the state determination person been clashes betwixt competing factions.

After years locked down frozen frontlines, the rebels mounted a lightning advance, culminating successful the toppling of the president and takeover of the superior astatine the weekend.

After taking Syria's 2nd metropolis Aleppo astatine the extremity of November, the rebels continued their offensive, moving southbound to instrumentality power of the metropolis of Hama past Thursday.

The beforehand continued astatine pace, with Syria's 3rd city, Homs, falling connected Saturday soon earlier authorities forces besides mislaid power of the capital.

Syria, with a colonisation of astir 22 cardinal people, is located connected the eastbound seashore of the Mediterranean sea. It borders Turkey to the north, Lebanon and Israel to the westbound and southbound west, Iraq to the eastbound and Jordan to the south.

Turkey, Western powers and respective Gulf Arab states person backed varying elements of the Syrian absorption to varying degrees during the conflict.

The Lebanon-based Hezbollah movement, backed by Iran, has fought alongside the Syrian authorities service but has been severely weakened by its struggle with Israel. This has been seen arsenic a cardinal crushed wherefore the rebel beforehand was truthful successful.

Israel, acrophobic by what it calls Iran's "military entrenchment" successful Syria, has launched aerial strikes against Syria's military.

Israeli warplanes person reportedly been carrying retired hundreds of airstrikes crossed Syria, targeting Syrian Army subject facilities, including limb warehouses, ammunition depots, airports, naval bases and probe centres.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says it has documented much than 300 strikes by Israel since the autumn of the Assad authorities connected Sunday, including connected the capital, Damascus, Aleppo and Hama.

Reports accidental that galore of the facilities deed person been wholly destroyed.

Israel says its actions are to forestall weapons falling "into the hands of extremists" arsenic Syria transitions into a post-Assad era.

Israel besides says it has temporarily seized control of a demilitarized buffer portion successful the Golan Heights, saying the 1974 disengagement statement with Syria had "collapsed" with the rebel takeover of the country.

It denies reports it has tanks approaching Damascus but says immoderate troops are operating successful Syrian territory beyond the buffer zone.

The Golan Heights is simply a rocky plateau astir 60km (40 miles) south-west of Damascus.

Israel seized the territory from Syria successful the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed it successful 1981. The determination was not recognised internationally, though the US did truthful unilaterally successful 2019.

In the bluish metropolis of Manbij determination person been clashes betwixt Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish-led rebels.

Both sides claimed to person taken parts of the metropolis and warring is reported to beryllium ongoing successful immoderate neighbourhoods.

Analysts astatine the Institute for the Study of War said they could not yet ascertain who was successful power of Manbij.

In 2015, Russia sent thousands of troops to Syria to assistance support President Assad successful power.

In instrumentality for this subject assistance, Russia was fixed 49-year leases connected 2 cardinal subject bases.

The larboard astatine Tartous is Russia's lone large overseas naval basal and besides its lone naval basal successful the Mediterranean.

Along with the aerial basal astatine Hmeimim, which is often utilized to alert Russia's subject contractors successful and retired of Africa, the 2 bases play an important relation successful Russia's quality to run arsenic a planetary power.

The Kremlin has said it volition clasp discussions with Syria's caller medication connected the aboriginal of some sites.