Shock Syria offensive complicates Biden's Middle East push
The State Department called for “de-escalation” as the Syrian rebels continued their rapid assault across the northern part of the country.
WASHINGTON — As Syria’s long-simmering civil war reignites, the State Department on Monday issued a vague call for de-escalation while the rebels continued with their lightning advance on government-controlled territory.
“We want to see all countries use their influence, use their leverage to push for de-escalation, protection of civilians and, ultimately, a political process forward,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press briefing.
The rebels’ stunning offensive on government-held areas represents the most significant challenge to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s iron-fisted rule in years, and comes as his main patrons — Russia, Iran and Iranian-backed Hezbollah — have been distracted or weakened by other conflicts.
It began last week when a patchwork of fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group that controls the opposition stronghold of Idlib and was formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized the second-largest city of Aleppo before advancing southward toward neighboring Hama province.
