Quote:
Originally Posted by
Salty_Aus
If I was a really evil dictator who was petulantly thumbing my nose at the west, I would have used VX or Sarin.
Cooking gas bottle filled with chlorine gas, very ghetto.
It's not mentioned that often how broke Syria is now. Russia and Syria prefer to give the impression that Assad is winning for the 7th consecutive year. The west prefers not to remind public of the consequences of sanctions, embargoes and asset seizures. It's a modern day version of siege.
They are dealing with something like 50% unemployment rate and third of the country is paying taxes to local warlords instead of Assad. Shiite backing and Russians are keeping Assad in control. Who knows what will happen with Kurds. Doubt Assad is too happy about them controlling the north and there's no telling how far Turkey is pushing. Currently Kurds and some militias that backed Assad are fighting the Turks.
Israel is bombing namely Hezbollah and militias they back in Syria but that might change anytime. The army Syria had before the war was mostly earmarked against Israel. They had 6th biggest fleet of tanks. In the 7 years of war they've lost more than half of it.
Rebels are currently losing since they've lost most of their backing. Isis is now in check. Few years ago they got most of their operating capital from controlling oil fields and taxing the areas they control. Less than 10% was foreign donations. I think they've lost all of their oil fields and they currently control barely nothing that they could tax.
Problem for Assad is that he doesn't have enough left to truly control the areas he has outside the ports and where ever his army currently is. Old or new players can pop up to areas that have changed hands multiple times.