Country: Syrian Arab Republic Source: Protection Cluster Please refer to the attached file. Syria’s political landscape transformed on 8 December 2024 with the fall of the former regime. A new transitional government is now in place, but the country remains fragmented among various armed actors: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and groups formed under the umbrella of the Syrian Nation al Army (SNA) now dominate most of the west and north (including Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib), while the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) retain parts of the northeast. In the South, various armed groups under a separate ‘operational command’ exercise territorial control. Other foreign influences persist – Russia holds bases on the coast and Israel has expanded the areas under its territorial control. Despite recent agreements (with the SDF and OAGs in Sweida) security is volatile; the various groups are not all fully united and sporadic clashes continue (for e.g. SNA vs SDF skirmishes in the northeast) while new conflict dynamics are also emerging (for e.g. Coastal and Central areas).