Ten Most Significant Military Events of 2024: From the Fall of Damascus to China’s New Stealth Fighter Programs

<p >Syria Defeated After 13 Year War Effort </p><p >On December 8, 2024 the <a href=" state was toppled </a>by Islamist insurgent groups, which removed the ruling Ba’ath party from power after over 61 years of rule. Syria had been in conflict with insurgents since early 2011, with the multi-national coalition of Islamist groups from across the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia receiving significant support from Turkey, <a href=" target="_blank">Israel</a> and countries across the Western world for their protracted 13 year war effort. The widely unanticipated fall of the Syrian state removed a major <a href=" in the side</a> of NATO and Israeli interests, with the country’s defeat having been an objective since the early years of the Cold War when it received significant Soviet protection. </p><p >The Syrian state’s fall has further shifted the balance of power in the Middle East in the favour of Western Bloc, Turkish and Israeli interests, removing the last Arab state in the region other than Yemen that was outside the Western sphere of influence. The geopolitical repercussions of Syria’s fall are potentially tremendous, ranging from the use of the country’s territory as a staging ground for <a href=" target="_blank">jihadist operations against China </a>and Central Asian states, to the isolation of the paramilitary group Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon, and the <a href=" transfer </a>of the country’s vast Soviet-supplied arsenals to Ukraine. Syria itself has seen Turkish and Israeli military presences expand tremendously since the government’s fall, raising significant speculation that Ankara and Tel Aviv will annex large parts of the country into their own territories. The country’s large air defence network and ballistic missile arsenal were dismantled by Israeli forces shortly after the government’s fall.</p><p ><img src=" title="Destroyed Ukrainian Army Leopard 2A6 Tank Near Kursk Border "></p><p >Ukraine and Allies Initiate Major Assault on Russia’s Kursk Region </p><p >On August 6 the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a large scale assault on Russia’s Kursk region involving over 15,000 personnel, in parallel to an attempted by <a href=" second assault </a>by other units on Russia’s Belgorod Region across the Kolotilovka–Pokrovka border crossing. The operation was quickly assessed to represent a likely turning point in the war in Russia’s favour, as with Ukrainian forces operating across very long supply lines, and surrounded from multiple sides by Russian forces with only minimal air defence, attrition rates quickly became extreme. By early October the Ukrainian Armed Forces and accompanying foreign forces were estimated to have <a href=" over 20,650 personnel </a>in Kursk, with many of the country’s most elite units committed to the offensive, as well as much of its most capable hardware including <a href=" href=" 2A6 tanks</a>. The deployment of significant numbers of German tanks to spearhead the assault has drawn significant parallels to the prior German-led assault on the Soviet Kursk region during the Second World War. Multiple sources have confirmed that forces from multiple NATO member states including the Untied States have <a href=" a significant role </a>on the ground in the Kursk offensives. </p><p ><img src=" title="Chinese Sixth Generation Fighter Prototype"></p><p >China Unveils World’s First Sixth Generation Fighters – U.S. Reconsiders Financing Development Costs to Compete</p><p >On December 26 the first images of sixth generation fighter aircraft were <a href=" from China, showing two unnamed models that are expected to succeed the country’s J-20 as to form the new elite of its fighter fleet. The fighters notably had tailless configurations, which was a never seen before key requirement for sixth generation fighters. The larger of the two aircraft also used a previously unheard of triple engine configuration. The unveiling of the aircraft came at a time when the United States is increasingly hesitating on whether to move ahead with development of a high performance sixth generation fighter, or whether to pursue a less ambitious lighter and shorter ranged fighter due to difficulties in affording a larger one. It also follows major recent successes in China’s combat aviation industry, including large scale production of the WS-15 next generation fighter engine for new generations of J-20s, and other notable programs including the <a href=" fighter </a>and <a href=" unmanned bomber</a>. The consensus has grown that China is set to move from the United States’ sole peer level competitor in fifth generation aviation, to the clear world leader in the sixth generation. </p><p ><img src=" title="General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah and Aftermath of Explosion"></p><p >High Intensity Conflict Between Hezbollah and Israel – General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah Killed</p><p >From October 2023 Hezbollah and Israel engaged in a near continuous series of <a href=" October 2023. The Lebanese paramilitary has demonstrated sophisticated military capabilities on multiple occasions, including the ability to use a range of drone and <a href=" assets </a>for complex air defence suppression operations, which include <a href=" href=" Dome</a> and <a href=" Sling</a> air defence systems. In September 2024 Israel escalated hostilities by launching an invasion of Lebanon and large scale air strikes against Hezbollah, one of which <a href=" its longstanding leader </a>Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on the evening of September 23. Nasrallah had been one of the top adversaries of Israel, Turkey and the Western Bloc for decades, and had overseen Hezbollah’s campaign to deal Israel its first ever military defeat in 2006, which made him a high priority target for assassination. The attack was second only to the fall of Damascus in its importance in furthering Israeli, Turkish and Western Bloc collective interests in the region. The effective decentralisation of command within Hezbollah nevertheless frustrated Israeli efforts to significantly weaken the group, with its military successes having been considerably. One notable success was the <a href=" of over 70 Israel Defence Forces casualties at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of the port city of Haifa, in mid-October. </p><p ><img src=" title="Launch of British Storm Shadow Cruise Missile By Ukrainian Su-24 Fighter"></p><p >Ukraine and NATO Initiate Deep Strikes Into Russia</p><p >After months long efforts by multiple European states to<a href=" lobby strongly </a>for unrestricted missile attacks very deep into Russia, with London and Paris being among the most active in this regard, attacks on internationally recognised Russian territory began to be launched from November 20. These missile attacks represented a major escalation, and were guided by <a href=" networks of Western satellites </a>and supported by <a href=" deployments</a> of Western Bloc advisors and other specialists on the ground. These missile strikes reportedly achieved some success against Russian forces in the Kursk region, including <a href=" components of an S-400 air defence system in late November. Russia responded by unveiling and making its first ever combat use of a new class of intermediate range ballistic missile on November 21, which Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin claimed forced the United Kingdom in particular to take a more cautious approach towards launching deep strikes against Russian targets. </p><p ><img src=" title="Iranian Ballistic Missiles in Terminal Stage of Flight Towards Israel "></p><p >Iran and Israel Launch Direct Missile and Air Strikes on One Another </p><p >On April 1 an <a href=" air strike </a>on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus killed a brigadier general in the elite Quds Force of the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Reza Zahedi, marking a major escalation in the longstanding conflict between the two states. Iran responded by launching large scale drone and missile strikes on Israeli targets on April 13, which Israel, the United States, France, Britain and Jordan <a href=" to blunt</a>, although assessments of the actual damage have conflicts sharply. The costs of the air defence efforts agist the relatively low cost attack, however, were estimated in the <a href=" of dollars</a>. Subsequently on July 31 Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh was <a href=" in his residence in Tehran by an Israeli air strike, which led Iran to retaliate with large scale attacks on October 1. These <a href=" a facility </a>hosting Israeli F-35 fighters, with some reports indicating that multiple fighters were destroyed in the attack. Israel responded with a relatively small scale attack on Iran on October 26, with Western and Israeli sources claiming they successfully neutralised many of the country’s air defence systems, while Iranian souces reported that the large majority of incoming missiles were intercepted. The escalated hostilities have fuelled speculation that further clashes could be likely in 2025. </p><p ><img src=" ></p><p >North Korea Intervenes Heavily to Support Russia’s War Effort</p><p >In early January the White House reported that Russia was making use of North Korean KN-23B and KN-24 ballistic missile systems and KN-25 rocket artillery systems in the Ukrainian theatre, with the KN-23B at the time assessed to be the Russian Army’s most potent class of tactical ballistic missile. By the middle of the year it was estimated that North Korea’s escalated artillery supplies had furnished Russia with <a href=" 6 million artillery rounds</a>. From mid-October reports emerged that Korean People’s Army personnel had been <a href=" considerable strength to Russia for combat operations against Ukraine and its <a href=" supporters</a>, with first confirmation of <a href=" Korean 170mm artillery systems published in mid-November. North Korea has reportedly also <a href=" pilots for training </a>in Russia, and is expected to <a href=" Russian combat aircraft </a>to partially cover the costs of these massive arms transfers, alongside possible technology transfers to support its space and nuclear submarine programs. </p><p ><img src=" title="Ukrainian Abrams Tank Hit By Precision Guided Artillery Early May"></p><p >Ukraine’s M1A1 Abrams Tanks Nearly Wiped Out After Long Anticipated Debut: Casualty Rates Remain Immense </p><p >After Ukraine began to receive M1A1 Abrams tanks from the United States in September 2023, they were <a href=" seen</a> deployed on February 23, 2024, with the tanks having seen the first loss <a href=" three days afterwards, followed by a succession of further losses over the next two months. This culminated in a temporary <a href=" from the frontlines</a> in April, although after they were again deployed they again suffered high rates of losses. Most kills filmed have been achieved <a href=" guided artillery</a> or <a href=" single use ‘kamikaze’ drones</a>, with one of the tanks was confirmed to have been <a href=" by a Russian T-72B3</a> tank after the two exchanged fire near Avdiivka. The Abrams’ effectiveness has<a href=" been questioned</a> by figures including U.S. Undersecretary for Defence for Policy Colin Kahl and U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Ukrainian personnel have highlighted their <a href=" the Abrams’ performance, citing both technical issues such as vulnerability of electronic components to condensation, as well as their vulnerability to Russian fire. With the Abrams having seen relatively little high intensity combat in its history, but having been widely hyped by Western and Ukrainian sources as a game changer for the war, the rapid attrition rates which Ukraine’s small fleet faced, much as was the case for its Leopard 2 and other Western tanks, did much to undermine the reputations of these vehicle.  </p><p ><img src=" title="Yemeni Ansurullah Coalition Forces on Parade" ></p><p >Yemeni Ansurullah Coalition Continue Major Clashes with Israeli, U.S.  and British Forces</p><p >The Yemeni Ansurullah Coalition has maintained a high intensity of operations against the United States, Israel, and several of their European allies including the United Kingdom and Turkey. The Yemeni group demonstrated a long reach by launching successful strikes on Israel, with a notable example being its <a href=" September 15 which was reported to have struck a power station in the country. Ansurullah Coalition forces reported that the strike involved “a new hypersonic ballistic missile,” which was able to hit its target. “The enemy’s defence systems failed to intercept and confront [the missile]. It crossed a distance of 2,040km in eleven and a half minutes, and caused a state of fear and panic” in Israel, the statement added. On July 19, coalition forces carried out a <a href=" drone strike</a> in central Tel Aviv, targeting an area near the American consulate and causing several casualties. In response, Israel conducted an <a href=" strike</a> on an oil depot in the city of Al Hudaydah, located in western Yemen. In addition to drone and ballistic missile attacks, the Ansarullah Coalition has previously launched <a href=" missile strikes</a> against Israeli targets.</p><p >In November Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante gave voice to a growing consensus that the Ansurullah Coalition’s military capabilities far exceeded previous estimates, which allowed it to sustain a conflict and continue to take to the <a href=" Ansurullah’s arsenal includes missiles which “can do things that are just amazing," according to LaPlante. "I'm an engineer and a physicist, and I've been around missiles my whole career. What I've seen of what the Houthis [Ansurullah] have done in the last six months is something that — I'm just shocked,” he stated. Alongside Israel and the United Kingdom, the United States has maintained a high tempo of operations against the Ansurullah Coalition, including using its most heavily armed aircraft the B-2 stealth bomber in xx to strike fortified weapons sites, although American assessments have continued to express frustration regarding the lack of a noticeable impact on the Yemeni group’s combat capabilities. </p><p ><img src=" title="Georgian Legion (left) and Forward Observations Group Western Fighters in Ukraine" ></p><p >European States Come Close to Major Intervention in Ukraine</p><p >Amid mounting Ukrainian and allied losses, European leaders have made increasingly vocal calls for major ground force deployments. Although Western ground forces, volunteer units and contractors have played central roles in the conflict on the ground, escalation to a full scale ground intervention by large NATO armies has the potential to escalate into a larger scale conflict between Russia and the Western Bloc. French President Emmanuel Macron <a href=" in 2024 that a large scale intervention was not ruled out as part of a policy to “do everything necessary to prevent Russia from winning this war.” Calls for such options to be considered <a href=" been raised</a> by figures such as Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, and the Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen. </p><p >Subsequently in mid-November the French paper Le Monde reported that France and the United Kingdom had “reactivated” discussions on troop deployments to Ukraine. The United States has notably been less committed than many of its more hawkish European allies to escalating the conflict with ground force deployments. In November the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has <a href=" >disclosed</a> information on plans by NATO member states to initiate a major ground force deployment to temporarily end ongoing hostilities, with the goal of eventually turning the tide of the conflict. The primary factor holding many of the more hawkish European states back has been not an issue of political will, but rather one of limited capabilities, since not only have European states largely exhausted their reserves of ground equipment, by the sizes and readiness levels of their ground forces are also limited.  </p>