Deep Dive
Why did Syria's military collapse so quickly?
The military disintegrated due to widespread demoralization, forced conscription, poor pay, and torture of soldiers. Many soldiers deserted, refusing to fight against their own people.
What role did Israel play in weakening Syria's military?
Israel targeted and decimated key Iranian proxies like Hezbollah, reducing their presence in Syria and weakening Assad's support network. Israel claims to have neutralized 80% of Syria's military capabilities.
How were soldiers treated in Assad's military?
Soldiers were paid just $1 a month, forced into extended service, and subjected to harsh conditions, including torture in prisons. Many were detained on vague charges and coerced into fighting.
Why did soldiers refuse to fight during the rebel advance?
Soldiers were unwilling to shoot their own people and felt no loyalty to Assad's regime. Many threw away their weapons and deserted, leading to the rapid collapse of the military.
What was the impact of Israel's actions on Assad's regime?
Israel's attacks weakened Iran's proxies, leaving Assad vulnerable. However, while some Syrians credit Israel for weakening Assad, they do not support Israel's ongoing attacks in Syria.
How did the civilian population in Damascus react to the military's collapse?
There was widespread relief among civilians, as they no longer had to fear forced conscription or the disappearance of their loved ones into Assad's prisons. Many celebrated the end of Assad's rule.
What was the financial situation for soldiers in Assad's military?
Soldiers were paid only $1 a month, forcing them to rely on their families for support. Many had to borrow money to survive, and some resorted to bribing officers to see their families.
How did the civil war affect the length of military service in Syria?
The war extended mandatory military service far beyond the usual 18 to 21 months. Conscripts were forced to serve for years, often without the ability to hold other jobs or support their families.
Shownotes Transcript
Today on State of the World, why Syria's military imploded so quickly.
You're listening to State of the World from NPR, the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. It's Wednesday, December 19th. I'm Greg Dixon. The now-toppled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad depended on his military power to keep his government in charge for years. Then, in a matter of days, that feared military disintegrated into nothing as rebel fighters swept across Syria, eventually taking the capital.
Why did they fold so quickly? NPR's Leila Fadl has been talking to some former soldiers in Damascus to find out. And a warning, there will be a brief description of torture in this story. When you visit some of the poorer areas just outside Damascus, like Gazlania, near the city's airport, it's easy to see why it all fell apart in just under two weeks. Hello.
We're welcomed into Aisha Hameidi's home. It's a large house filled with five of her six sons, her daughters, their children, cousins, in-laws. On the back wall, a framed picture of one of Hameidi's sons smiling in his military uniform is displayed on a shelf near her collection of metal figurines. She sees me looking at it and walks over. Oh, she's turning it around.
Why'd you turn it around? My son's asking why I have it out, she says. I'm just going to throw it away. Are you not proud of your son's service?
He served before the war in Syria started over a decade ago, and she hasn't seen him in years. He was detained by Assad's regime on vague charges of terrorism, she says, and eventually fled the country more than 11 years ago. Being jailed is the story of almost every one of her sons.
and many of the men in this neighborhood full of former soldiers. They were detained, imprisoned, many accused under a sweeping counterterrorism law, tortured, they say. And the younger ones were ultimately forced into Assad's military. They all recount stories from prison. They took me in the Mezzeh base for a year and nine months.
What was your treatment like? Hitting and torture. They would electrocute me and they would tell me, your God is Hafez, your God is Bashar. They would strip me naked and throw water on me.
Were all of you treated like this when you went to prison? When my brother came out, we would have to carry him around everywhere. He would be urinating blood. Oh, my God. They would hang me like a sheep.
In Syria, military service is mandatory for 18 to 21 months. But because the civil war dragged on for more than 13 years, conscripts were forced to serve for much longer. During that time, they say they weren't allowed to hold other jobs, they weren't fed well, they had to borrow to pay rent, and sometimes to bribe their higher-ups so they could go home and see their families.
That was the situation for Majd Hameidi and his brother Ahmed Hameidi. They both went from prison to the army. How much were you paid? $1. How are you supposed to live on that? On my parents. I would work and send them money. His mother supported her sons by selling grape leaves and fried meatballs made with bulgur wheat...
The rank and file of Esset's military were made up of men like these, paid the equivalent of a dollar a month to fight on the front lines, fined or jailed for the smallest infractions, again, Majd and Ahmed. I mean, did young men from this neighborhood have to serve in the army and fight?
You either kill or get killed. The officer would tell me, you're going to have to go to the front line and shoot. If you turn your back, I'm going to shoot you myself. This coercion to fight for a government battling other Syrians went on for years. So on the day rebel fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group once linked to Al-Qaeda before they broke ties and rebranded, arrived at the doorstep of Damascus...
It wasn't a surprise that soldiers like Majd defied orders. We were in our jobs, we were at the base, and we got orders to shoot anyone who comes. But we were like, who are we going to shoot? Our people? So I just threw away my weapon, I threw away my ID, and I just ran away. And what were you thinking in that moment?
Who are we killing? Who are we resisting? He deserted, and so did thousands of other soldiers. In just this neighborhood, we hear the story of a soldier who stripped out of his uniform, threw away his weapon, and walked 85 miles from his post to his home in this area. Another who shoved his uniform into the wood-burning stove that heats the one room where he lives with his wife and child, all they could afford on his meager salary.
And with so much of Assad's military demoralized and beaten down, the former dictator leaned heavily on its backers, Russia and Iran, and the regional militia Iran backs, like the Lebanese group Hezbollah. But this year, a lot changed. Israel decimated the top ranks of Iran's most important proxy, Hezbollah, forcing them to pull back from Syria and leaving Assad vulnerable.
When we ask the Hamadi brothers if they credit Israel for weakening Assad's backers... Of course, of course, they all say. But that doesn't mean they support Israel's daily attacks in Syria now. Israel says it's taken out some 80% of Syria's military capabilities, claiming it doesn't want the weapons to fall into the wrong hands.
It's also taken over more territory in the Golan Heights in southwest Syria. And whatever Israel is tracking right now, it belongs to the Syrian people. That's something the new authorities in Damascus will have to deal with, they say. The overarching sentiment in this home and this neighborhood...
It's relief. The days of forced loyalty to Assad, they say, are over. Their mother can stop worrying that they'll be taken from her. As we leave, they gather outside and begin to sing. Oba Shah, we want to step on your head. Syria is free. Raise your head up high. Syria is free.
That's NPR's Leila Fadl. That's the state of the world from NPR. If you appreciate this kind of on-the-ground reporting from around the world, and if you're listening right now, I think you do, please consider supporting us by joining NPR+. It's a small monthly donation that funds our nonprofit journalism. Go to plus.npr.org to sign up. That's plus.npr.org. Thank you for supporting what we do, and thanks for listening.
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