Fall of Syria's Bashar Assad is strategic blow to Iran and Russia, experts say

Analysts and commentators say the collapse of Syria's Bashar al-Assad's regime is likely to reshape the power dynamics in the Middle East while signaling a critical shift in influence among world powers.

Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.

Rebekah Koffler, strategic military intelligence analyst and author of "Putin’s Playbook," emphasized the significance. "Syria has been a key theater in the broader proxy conflict between Russia and the U.S. losing Assad represents a strategic defeat for Russia, costing them critical bases in the Middle East and further stretching their military resources as they continue fighting in Ukraine."