The Road to Damascus: After Assad, Turkey Braces for Host of Challenges in Syria

Despite its support for the rebels that conquered Damascus, Ankara rejects claims that it seeks domination—military or otherwise—in its war-torn neighbor.

Russian and Turkish military armored vehicles drive along the M4 highway, which links the northern Syrian provinces of Aleppo and Latakia, near Ariha in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province, on July 7, 2020. Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump said NATO member Turkey will hold the “key to Syria,” where the ruling regime collapsed last week in the face of a rebel offensive supported by Ankara.

Addressing reporters on Dec. 16, Trump also said the rebel groups that captured Damascus—and most of the country—were “controlled by Turkey.”