Before Assad’s overthrow, global players in Syria included Russia and Iran, who supported Assad, and the US and Turkey, who backed various rebel groups. Turkey, in particular, supported the Syrian National Army to counter the Kurdish YPG militia, linked to the PKK. Turkey also aimed to manage Syrian refugees and seized territory from the YPG and SDF. After Assad’s fall, these countries, along with Israel, continue to influence Syria’s future political landscape. Turkey and Russia previously brokered a ceasefire in Idlib, dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which played a key role in Assad’s overthrow.