Syrian Air Force Escalates Attacks on Western Rebels

With US Pounding ISIS, Syria Free to Focus on Coastal Rebellion

Ever since the US began its Syrian Air War against ISIS late last month, Syria’s own air force has been able to redirect its military campaign against the other rebel factions, leaving the US to hold ISIS at bey for the time being.

The attacks have escalated again, with today’s reports that the Syrian warplanes have carried out more than double the usual number of airstrikes against the rebels in northwestern Syria.

Though the US has denied that their air war is going to help the Assad government, it has done exactly that so far, giving the Syrian military a much smaller rebel region along the coast to focus on, instead of the entire country.

That’s likely to remain the case so long as ISIS is focused on Kurdish territory, as there’s really little reason for the Syrian military to try to confront ISIS directly when there are easier targets elsewhere in the country.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.