The map of military influence in Syria for January 2020 showed an obvious change in the total control rations between the conflicting forces on the Syrian soil, compared to the ratios recorded in December last year.

According to Jusoor for Studies Center released map, the forces’ control ratios on the ground have become as follows:

• Syrian opposition factions’ control ratio decreased to (11.75%) compared to (11.97%) recorded last month, with an area equal to 22,012 km2 of the total area in Syria.

• The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) maintained the same control ratio recorded since November/January 2019 at (25.64%), which is an area equal to 47,846 km2 of the total area in Syria.

• Syrian regime’s control ratio increased to some extent to (62.63%) compared to (62.39%) recorded last month, with an area equivalent to 116,437 km2 of the total area in Syria.

• Naturally, ISIS does not have any military control over the Syrian soil since last February.

During January 2020, the Syrian regime forces made new progress in the de-escalation zone. Also, regime forces achieved significant progress in the southeast of Idlib after resuming hostilities in November 2019, which led to a noticeable change in the map of influence in the buffer zone; where:

• The Turkish observation points in Tal al-Surman, Maar Hattat and Morek are completely enclosed, and Turkey has established two new observation points north and south of the strategic city of Saraqib. This brings the total number of observation points to 15, 3 of which are outside the de-escalation zone memorandum.

• Syrian regime forces took control of the strategic city of Maarat al-Numan east of Idlib, and became only few kilometers away from the city of Saraqib. It should be mentioned that the regime forces’ area of progress during January 2020 amounted to 335 km2.

• Combat operations are still somewhat within the buffer zone and the Syrian regime's control area within the buffer zone is 915 km2. Note that the total area of the buffer zone is 3200 km2.

• The Syrian regime forces are trying to advance in order to control the southern and western countryside of Aleppo, however, their operations in these areas have relatively stumbled during January 2020.

East of the Euphrates, military operations have relatively stopped relatively in the area of the Spring of Peace process since December 2019 in the framework of commitment to the Sochi Memorandum between Turkey and Russia signed on October 23, 2019.