(CNN) In Syria, Bashar al-Assad and his years-long regime have fallen, but the country remains a battleground for a range of actors seeking to secure their interests in what could prove to be a dangerous power vacuum .
While Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) assumes de facto leadership, Syria is still attacked by neighboring countries and remains the scene of infighting between groups with opposing interests. Some actors appear to be seeking to exploit this potential power vacuum, eager to use the post-Assad terrain to expand their control or eliminate their enemies.
Turkey seeks to eliminate armed Kurdish militants, Israel has struck what remains of the Syrian Arab Army's capabilities and expanded its territorial control, while the United States has stepped up strikes against ISIS and moved ships from war in the region.
Here's what we know about the fighting in Syria.
Turkish interests in the northeast
Turkey has long had direct interests in Syria. Before Assad's fall, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly promised an imminent ground operation in northern Syria, aimed at clearing the area of fighters allied with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group that Turkey and the United States consider it a terrorist organization. as well as creating a safe zone for the return of refugees.
After the rebel offensive began almost two weeks ago, fighting broke out in the northeast of the country between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Kurdish militants.
The Turkish government has long considered Syrian Kurdish groups to be part of or linked to the PKK. However, Kurdish forces have been key partners with the United States in the fight against ISIS and control large swaths of territory in northeastern Syria.
When Assad was successfully toppled by HTS-led groups, open fighting between the Turkish-backed SNA and Kurdish forces intensified in recent weeks.
Fears of a Turkish incursion have not abated either. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed U.S. officials as saying Turkey and its allied militias are building up forces near Kobani, a majority-Kurdish town in Syria, with fears a cross-border operation is imminent.
Israeli bombing
On the same day that rebels took control of Damascus, the Syrian capital, Israel began striking military installations that had belonged to the Assad regime. In the days that followed, Israel intensified its bombing, hitting nearly 500 targets, destroying the navy and destroying, according to the Israeli military, 90 percent of Syria's known surface-to-air missiles.
Israeli officials said the strikes on Syrian military assets were aimed at preventing them from falling into the hands of extremists.
The Israeli government welcomed the fall of Assad, a staunch ally of Iran who allowed his country to be used as a supply line for Hezbollah in Lebanon. But he also fears what could happen to radical Islamists ruling Syria, which borders Israel in the occupied Golan Heights.
His army also began advancing on the ground, seizing more territory in Syria. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) now occupy Syria's highest peak, Mount Hermon, a strategic position overlooking Lebanon, Syria and Israel. The summit of Mount Hermon lies in a buffer zone that, until the fall of Assad, separated Israeli and Syrian forces for 50 years.
The Israeli army continued its advance beyond the summit, to Beqaasem, about 25 kilometers from the Syrian capital, according to Voice of the Capital, a Syrian activist group. CNN could not independently confirm this claim.
Syrian rebel leader Mohammad al-Jolani accused Israel of crossing lines of engagement in its actions in Syria, while a group of the country's neighbors called on Israel to withdraw its forces from all Syrian territories.
The United States fears a resurgence of ISIS
The United States has maintained a presence in Syria for years, partnering with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for anti-ISIS operations in the country. Some 900 American soldiers are stationed there, mainly in the northeast.
US bases have come under more attacks over the past year as Iran-backed armed groups supporting Hamas in Gaza target US assets in Syria and Iraq, to protest US support for Israel . The United States responded with airstrikes.
After the fall of Assad, the United States was clear that his mission against IS would continue. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has continued to strike sites in Syria that it says are known ISIS camps and members, fearing the group is taking advantage of a potential power vacuum following the fall of Assad.
CENTCOM, together with its allies and partners in the region, will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria, said General Michael Erik Kurilla. according to a statement of CENTCOM.
On Monday, CENTCOM said it had killed 12 IS terrorists in precision airstrikes, intended to prevent the group from seeking opportunities to reconstitute in central Syria.
These recent strikes take place in areas controlled by the former regime and by Russia, ensuring that pressure on IS is maintained, CENTCOM said in its statement.
An added complication has been the resurgence of fighting between the U.S.-allied SDF and Turkish-backed militants. After Assad's fall, the SDF said it was attacked by Turkish-backed groups, some targeting IS detention centers that the SDF claims to be trying to guard.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Ankara last week to meet with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to discuss the situation in Syria and the risk that a resumption of conflict in the north could pave the way for the revival of EI.
Additional reporting by Mick Krever, Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis and Nechirvan Mando, CNN
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