The fall of the eastern rebel-held side of Aleppo at the end of 2016 marked a turning point in Syria’s civil war, shifting the tide of the conflict in President Bashar al-Assad’s favour.

With Isis’s caliphate dismantled after the battle for Raqqa last year, the other long-standing front in the Syrian theatre also began to wind down.

And yet, on the eve of its seventh anniversary, Syria’s war shows no sign of stopping. In some areas it is becoming even more complicated – and deadly. On Monday, the UN said the country is currently experiencing “some of the worst fighting of the entire conflict”.

Syria today is better described as several intersecting wars, rather than the government-versus-rebels narrative it started out as in 2011. In the last few weeks, the proxy conflicts between Israel and Iran and Turkey and the Kurds have heated up in particular.

Israel vs Iran

Israel lost a fighter jet on 10 February when Syrian anti-aircraft systems shot down an F-16 fighter on its return from a bombing raid.

Though formally neutral on Syria’s civil war, Israel is believed to have carried out more than 100 strikes to prevent weaponry shipments to Lebanese militant organisation Hezbollah, which, along with troops belonging to Shia militias from Iran and Iraq, fights alongside Mr Assad’s troops.

Iran’s political influence over the Assad government is a major worry for Israel, who accuse Tehran of trying to use Syria as a new military base from which it could attack the Jewish state.

The downing of the jet was seized upon as a symbolic victory by the Assad government and its allies – although Israel responded with its most aggressive bombing attack in years, which reports say killed six regime-allied fighters.

The Eurasia Group, a New York-based political risk consultancy, said on Monday that Israel will probably need to continue to carry out strikes in Syria as a means of deterrence, but added that “in a fog of war environment, another incident can easily drag the relevant parties towards a regional conflict”.

Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Show all 9 1 /9 Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Smoke billows following a Turkish airstrike on a village in the Afrin district, on 28 January, 2018. Turkey launched operation "Olive Branch" on January 20 against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Afrin, supporting Syrian opposition fighters with ground troops and air strikes AFP Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Smoke billows from surrounding villages during the Turkish military operation against the Kurdish enclave on 28 January, 2018 AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Twenty-year old Kifah al-Moussa, a Syrian Arab woman living among the Kurds of Afrin province, was working on a chicken farm in the village of Maryameen when a Turkish aircraft bombed the building at midday on 21 January, wounding her in the chest. When she recovered consciousness, she found eight people from one family lying dead around her Yara Ismail Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Mohamed Hussein, a 58-year-old Kurdish farmer, lies in the Afrin hospital, wounded in the head and eye after his home was bombed by Turkish aircraft on the second night of the attack Yara Ismail Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Syrian Kurds sit on benches overlooking a street in Afrin, on 28 January, 2018. Above is a memorial to ‘martyrs’ who died in the fight against Isis AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Smoke is seen rising on the Syrian side of the border, at Hassa, near Hatay, southern Turkey as Turkish jet fighters hit People's Protection Unit (YPG) positions, on 28 January, 2018 AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures A Turkish made T-155 Firtina (Storm) howitzer is dispatched to the border at Hassa near Hatay, southern Turkey, on 28 January, 2018 AFP/Getty Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, on 28 January, 2018 Reuters Turkish attack on Afrin, northern Syria – in pictures Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army fighters are seen in Barsaya mountain, northeast of Afrin, on 28 January, 2018 Reuters

Turkey vs Kurds

Turkey, incensed by renewed US support for Kurdish forces in Syria, last month launched Operation Olive Branch on the Syrian Kurdish enclave of Afrin, opening a new front in the war which has already killed dozens of civilians and fighters on both sides.

The Kurds in the north of the country took advantage of the chaos in Syria after 2011 to create a semi-autonomous state.

Turkey views the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or the YPG, as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of south-west Turkey, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Ankara as well as by the US and EU.

However, the YPG and broader Arab-Kurdish coalition Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have won widespread Western support over the past few years as the most effective ground force against Isis.

The conflict could bring Turkey, a key Nato member, directly into conflict with the US if Turkish-backed forces make good on their threat to move east towards Manbij, where US troops are based.

The new fighting has also pushed the Kurds towards the Assad government, with whom it has at times formed realpolitik military alliances.

Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling Show all 11 1 /11 Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling Karim was injured twice from bombings on Eastern al-Ghouta, rebel-held Douma, Syria. He lost an eye, as well as his mother in the government shellings. EPA Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling Activists worldwide launched a campaign in solidarity with Karim as a symbol for the besiegement of Eastern al-Ghouta AFP/Getty Images Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling After spending 10 days at a hospital Karim Abdul Rahman was discharged to his house, in which another bombing led to a shrapnel to injure his skull. EPA Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling Many people in the rebel-held town of Douma in Syria's besieged eastern Ghouta region, have joined in AFP/Getty Images Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling A manon the street poses covering one eye AFP/Getty Images Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling Karim's aunt has been caring for him EPA Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling Children in Syria have joined in the campaign AFP/Getty Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling A girl poses covering one eye with her hand in the rebel-held town of Douma AFP/Getty Images Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling A man poses covering one eye AFP/Getty Images Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling As part of a campaign in solidarity with a baby boy, Karim, a child poses covering one eye with his hand AFP/Getty Images Syrian solidarity with baby who lost eye during government shelling This combination of pictures shows Syrians covering one eye with their hands in the rebel-held town of Douma AFP/Getty Images

Assad vs Rebels

Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed to create four “de-escalation zones” in Syria in May 2017 to calm fighting between rebel groups and Syrian government forces.

But in recent weeks Mr Assad has moved decisively to crush two of those areas – Idlib, the last remaining rebel bastion, located in the north-west, and Eastern Ghouta, a besieged rebel-held suburb of Damascus.

With the help of its allies in Russia, Syria has launched a ferocious new wave of bombings in both areas. The violence has been some of the worst of the entire conflict, leaving hundreds dead and first responders struggling to cope.

Syria’s opposition is now divided and weak and has lost the full-throated support of the US and Turkey.