In what the Wall Street Journal has termed an “11-Day Blitz by Syrian Rebels That Ended 50 Years of Assad Rule” the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS has advanced from the North causing the fall of a 24-year rule by Assad, and a new milestone in a 13-year civil war, along with other rebel factions. Here's what happened:

• On November 29th Aleppo fell

• On December 1st forces approached Hama, but were held off

• On December 5th Hama fell, and Hama Central Prison was opened

• On December 7th Daraa in the south fell to another faction

• Back in the north forces approached Homs

• On the 7th Homs fell, and by evening videos of falling statues in the outskirts of Damascus were circulating.

• On the 8th Damascus collapsed, and Assad reportedly fled to Moscow where he and his family have sought asylum. (The Washington Post, December 8, 2024)

This sent the world scrambling, with the usual suspects stating the usual sentences in chaos. 

• The US stated later in the day that it would not get involved, but that it would counter a resurgence of ISIS, and on the 8th carried this out with air bombardments in Syria.

• The UN calls for terrorists and guerrillas to maintain order and act humanly with respect for non-combatants.

• Turkey insists it is not looking for land while supporting the rebels with material assistance and in talks with Russia.

• Russia and Iran in a joint statement from Doha called for an immediate quelling of the situation, and the Russian Foreign Secretary stated they would enforce this by any means necessary. However, all pro-Assad parties, including Hezbollah have their hands tied in other arenas. (Times of Israel, December 8, 2024)

This is not, however, a story which started on July 10th of 2000, but rather this could be viewed as a series of dominoes since October 7th, 2023. At the promise of a great Abrahamic nation, Israel, a divine mandate was made:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

This was upheld through the periods of the Ammonites, Edomites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and throughout history up to what we may well be witnessing today. The antagonists to the Abrahamic seed, without fail, disappear from the annuals of history.

In undeniable victories, Israel has enacted the curse upon those who have held slogans such as, “Our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated” (Wilson Center, October 20, 2023). After the 7th, Hamas in Operation Swords of Iron, then Hezbollah in Operation Northern Arrows, and Iran in Operation Days of Repentance have left the respective incumbents humiliated and greatly weakened. 

The ideology of Syria is not much different. It stood against Israel in 1948, 1967, and 1973, and entered into a relationship with Hamas in its early years followed by Hezbollah and Iran after the Syrian insurgency. These relationships included practices such as training Hamas’ terrorists, and housing its leadership. This is not just a general Syrian attitude, but one Assad himself holds, stating just last year that “there is no evidence that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust” (i24 News, December 20, 2023).

Neither is this a merely modern phenomenon. Ancient rulers of Syria, Benhadad and Hazael in, 2 Kings, would wage war against Israel, the actions of the latter reminiscent of AD 70 as Elisha prophesies in tears at Hazeal’s appointment.

And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. (2 Kings 8:12)

In fact, AD 70 itself was precipitated by a Jewish victory through an ambush against the Syrian Legion bringing Vespasian down, and later his son Titus.

Therefore, we should not be surprised that the trend of humiliation starting in Gaza, spreading to the territory of Beirut, and the land of Tehran, should continue through the streets of Damascus as toppled statues of Asad are dragged through its streets, containing abandoned Syrian military equipment, ransacked palaces, and the gunfire of celebration.

This seems to be the result of a pattern, as we have mentioned beginning with the fall of Hamas. Iran has relied heavily on proxy forces to act as an offensive ring of fire against Israel. As Iran’s allies fall one by one their mutual influence, Iran’s power is diminished. This was a main backer of the Syrian regime since the beginning of the civil war. 

A headline in the Telegraph on Sunday agreed with this sentiment proposing “How Oct 7 led to the fall of Syria – and the retreat of Iran" (December 8, 2024). In the Guardian “Hezbollah’s war with Israel left the Assad regime fatally exposed" (December 8, 2024). This was illustrated both by the retreating of Hezbollah forces from Damascus to Lebanon and other regions, as well as Iran’s complete lack of support, even turning around an oil tanker headed to its faltering ally (Times of Israel, December 8, 2024).

Iran’s Axis of Resistance, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and Syria, has been subject to numerous defeats. The Times of Israel reported on December 8th that a senior US official noted that Syria had “dramatically changed the balance of power” from Iran. It also ran a headline stating that there was a “‘Break in the chain’: Fall of Assad deals blow to Iran’s global ‘Axis of Resistance’“. The BBC had a report entitled the “End of Assad rule will reshape the region's balance of power“ (December).

Whether the Rebels will bring peace and stable government institutions to the region can be questioned. As Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov quipped, “The proof is in the eating of the pudding” (MFA Russia, December 7, 2024). 

Whatever the case in the intermediary time we are told in Ezekiel 38 the end state before the battle of Armageddon:

“After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.” (Ezekiel 38:8)

This could be achieved by temporary infighting in the region, as Hamas officials said themselves, "We wish Syria all the best, stability and prosperity and that the internal problem be resolved through dialogue and on the basis of national partnership," he added, "because the only beneficiary of internal fighting and instability is the Zionist enemy." (Newsweek, December 5, 2024).

Perhaps this could also be achieved by the new tone set by the Rebel’s leadership. In a remarkable interview with the Free Syrian Army, a commander of the group had the following to say:

“We are open to friendship with everyone in the region – including Israel. We don’t have enemies other than the Assad regime, Hezbollah and Iran. What Israel did against Hezbollah in Lebanon helped us a great deal. Now we are taking care of the rest”. 

In response to the question:

“Should the insurgents achieve their goal of toppling the Assad regime, how do you envision future relations between Syria and Israel?”

He answered:

“We will go for full peace with Israel, we will live side by side as neighbours. Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, we have never made any critical comments against Israel, unlike Hezbollah, who stated they aim to liberate Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Our only focus is to get rid of Assad and the Iranian militias.

Hopefully, we will coexist in harmony and we will transform this region and take it from a state of war into a state of economic progress, perhaps with Israeli and American aid for reconstruction. We will take it on a different path than Iran and Hezbollah.” (Times of Israel, December 7, 2024)

In response to this attempted look of responsibility, but mindful of the Rebels' history with Al-Queda and ISIS history Benjamin Netanyahu made the following comments on developments in Syria, and the Golan Heights with the Government Press Office, as Israel entered the buffer zone and eliminated chemical weapons in the region with air strikes in order to ensure its security.

“This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers. This collapse is the direct result of our forceful action against Hezbollah and Iran, Assad's main supporters. It set off a chain reaction of all those who want to free themselves from this tyranny and its oppression. 

But it also means that we have to take action against possible threats. One of them is the collapse of the Separation of Forces Agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria. This agreement was held for 50 years. Last night, it collapsed. The Syrian army abandoned its positions. We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found. 

Equally, we send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the Christians, and to the Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel. We're going to follow events very carefully. If we can establish neighbourly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that's our desire. But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel". (December 8, 2024)

This is a historic day for the Middle East that we can be sure of. We do not know where it is leading in the short term. It may lead to chaos as old agreements are disregarded and factions vie for power. It may also usher in the expansion of cold and warm peace agreements with Israel and the mostly Sunni Arab states (such as Egypt, Jordan, UAE, and that expected of Saudi Arabia), to include the Sunni-oriented HTS.

Either way, another of Israel’s enemies has found itself in a decisive defeat. If our Lord remains away there are many unknowns which we will watch for in the coming days, months, and possibly years. It is possible that the factions of Rebels will now compete for supremacy in the region. It is a question of whether Russia will pull out, focussing on the European theatre, or attempt to stay in the region preserving its many naval and air bases. 

What we do know is that an enemy of Israel has fallen, and it came because of the degradation of its allies.

In terms of Bible prophecy, we must watch for an environment of peace to be established inside Israel and a Northern Invader who will tread through Syria in an overflowing and passing over.

It is at a time like this that the words of Esther and Zechariah come to mind.

“Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, [...] that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.[...] And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” (Esther 8:11,12,17)

Those who walk the halls of Tehran should remember the words of Zeresh “If Mordechai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him”. So once again in part, the Jew’s enemy directed from the Euphrates has been humiliated, but we look for the ultimate day when, after the battle of Armageddon, all nations will know the name of the LORD, and:

“ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zechariah 8:23)