Recently, an abundance of foreign conflicts have been steadily becoming more intense, from conflicts in Eastern Europe to the Middle East.
Syria Falls
For almost 14 years, the country of Syria has been in a state of constant civil war. Sadly, it is estimated that as many as 620,000 people have been killed over the course of the war, with around a third of them estimated to be civilians. However, after the struggles, which began in 2011, the brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad has finally been overthrown by Syrian rebels.
The president was famous for brutal killings, torture, and incredible oppression of the masses enforced by the strict police-state that he ran. His regime has been supported by allies like Iran and Russia over the years. However, their support has recently been scattered, as Iran and their allies are busy dealing with Israeli invaders, and Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine.
On Nov. 27, in a shocking victory, rebels easily seized the capital city of Damascus, and al-Assad fled to Russia shortly after. Celebrations have rung out throughout the world, as the more than 13 million people who fled al-Assad’s brutal regime are now free to return home. Others have taken to the streets to celebrate their country’s newfound freedom. Rebels began to punish those involved in al-Assad’s brutal regime and free detainees in his prisons.
However, the work in Syria is far from done. Searches have gone on throughout the country, with recent developments in the search for survivors in Syria’s biggest military prison, dubbed by locals as “the slaughterhouse.”
To make matters even more complicated, amidst the chaos, Israel has seized an opportunity to attack the country while they celebrate the defeat of their dictator. As the rebels began to figure out what would happen next with Syria, Israel began to launch over 300 coordinated strikes on Syrian military targets, destroying up to 80% of Syria’s military assets.
They used the internal turmoil to their advantage, kicking the new government while it was down, even ignoring UN guidelines and operating in UN-ordered demilitarized “buffer zones” in the country. The Israeli government cites the fact that the Syrian rebel leaders are still publicly labeled a terrorist organization to most of the western world as motive for firing on Syria.
Violent Protests in Georgia
Over two weeks of violent protests have plagued cities throughout the former-Soviet country of Georgia in Eastern Europe. Joining the European Union (EU) has been a contentious topic within Georgia for many years now. Citizens in Georgia have grown increasingly unhappy with the Georgian government’s ruling party, Georgian Dream. The former prime minister promised more involvement with the EU and distancing from Russia when he took power in 2012.
However, the party, which is still in control now, has shifted towards a more anti-EU stance, and has grown closer to Russia, with many Georgians believing it has moved the country closer to authoritarianism. Now, the current prime minister has postponed talks of joining the EU until 2028.
This sparked outrage as Georgians took to the streets in violent protest; this was the last straw for many of them. Police quickly responded to these riots with extreme force. Many civilians were killed in clashes with police, with hundreds of others hospitalized. Over 400 people have been arrested, but this hasn’t deterred massive riots still occurring across Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.
Riot police shield buildings in lines with shields, holding the line from protesters, some of whom have been using fireworks to attack the police from a range. They’ve even brought in massive fire trucks with water cannons to blast any protesters who get too close.
Ongoing Conflicts
Both the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars have continued as before. In Ukraine, president Volodomyr Zelensky has announced that 43,000 Ukrainians have died in the war, while Russia pushes forward in their assaults, now with more North Korean military support. Missile attacks continue throughout the weeks, where a recent strike killed 8 and injured 22 in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Meanwhile, Israel’s war on Hamas, Iran, and Hezbollah continues to worsen, with the scope of the war growing with every coming month. Israel continues to carry out strikes in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen.
Terrorist groups, now mostly on the defensive, push back against Israel, but with the backing of the west, Israel continues to widen its fire to more and more countries, even firing preemptive strikes on Syria, which doesn’t have a sitting government yet. Deaths in Palestine as a result of Israel’s attacks have reached 44,000, with 70% of the deaths being women and children.
