Rewards Outweigh Risks for Assad in Drive to Retake Idlib
- With Russian support and U.S. absence, Assad decided to strike
- Idlib capture a key step toward a start at rebuilding economy
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With his decision to make a final push to retake Idlib province, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is walking a perilous line between risking retaliation from neighboring Turkey and saving his economy and moving closer to restoring the nation’s territorial integrity.
At its heart, the offensive against Turkish-backed rebels and al-Qaeda militants reflects Assad’s long-held desire to rebuild Idlib as a bridge to reconnect Aleppo, once the nation’s productive engine, to the capital, Damascus, and coastal areas. That’s become especially vital with his economy screaming under the impact of almost a decade of war, sanctions and neighboring Lebanon’s financial crisis.