The Sunday Subject: December 1, 2024
Rebels have seized control over most of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.
Antigovernment rebels, composed of various opposition factions including Islamist and Turkish-backed forces, launched a surprise offensive against Bashar al-Assad’s autocratic regime on Wednesday. By Saturday, they seized most of Aleppo, marking the most intense escalation in years against government forces. The government, which controls more than 60% of Syria’s territory, responded with airstrikes on the city for the first time since 2016, when it recaptured all of Aleppo after a prolonged siege. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday that Moscow also carried out airstrikes against the rebel offensive in support of the Syrian military. The civil war, which began in 2011, had largely been stagnant in recent years; however, with Assad’s key allies – the Russian military and Iran and its proxies – distracted and weakened by Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war against Hizbullah, respectively, rebel offensives may continue to escalate.
Israel and Hizbullah agreed on a ceasefire in Lebanon.
As part of the deal, Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from Lebanon and Hizbullah will move away from Lebanon’s border with Israel. The agreement seeks to end the war between Israel and Hizbullah, which began last year when Hizbullah started firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas, and escalated in October when Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon and expanded its airstrikes across the Arab country. The deal, however, relies on Lebanon’s weak army to ensure Hizbullah’s retreat, creating a fragile peace. Five years into an economic crisis that bankrupted the Lebanese state, Lebanese army soldiers receive little pay, while some factions in the Lebanese government are sympathetic to or aligned with Hizbullah. Further, the Lebanese army has largely ceded its responsibility of securing borders and rarely gets involved in Israel’s wars against Hezbollah – army officers have said that the diverse force, made up of various sects, would undermine national stability if perceived to be targeting one sectarian group. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s critics worry that by taking the pressure off Israel’s overstretched army in Lebanon, the Israeli Prime Minister will escalate his assault on Gaza.
The COP29 climate summit in Baku reached a compromise deal, avoiding collapse.
Developing countries reluctantly agreed to a deal of $300bn a year for nations most vulnerable to climate change. Rich countries were widely criticized for failing to offer enough to the developing world; the Indian negotiator said it was a “paltry” sum. The talks almost failed to reach an agreement, with the Alliance of Small Island States pulling out of negotiations last minute to protest wealthy countries’ failure to include in discussions nations most at risk from climate change and “not offering a progressive way forward.” Furthermore, in the middle of the conference, prominent world leaders and climate experts called for an urgent overhaul of the COP process, calling COP summits “no longer fit for purpose.”
