On Sunday, 422 members of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, arrived in Jordan from southern Syria with the help of Israel. They had fled from the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has been conducting a major offensive to take back land from rebel groups as part of the civil war that has raged since 2011. The members who arrived in Jordan will eventually be resettled as refugees in countries such Canada and Germany within the next three months.

In an interview with DW Monday, the White Helmets director Raed al-Saleh said the evacuations of his organization's members to Jordan have been "unfortunately discontinued" and that the members of the organization still in Syria were in clear danger due to gunfire and bombings in the country's south. Originally 800 members were supposed to reach Jordan, he said, but the Syrian army and its militias prevented them from leaving, resulting in only about half making the journey. He said that there are currently 3,700 members of the Syrian Civil Defense still inside Syria.

The White Helmets conduct search and rescue missions across Syria to save civilians. For example, when a building is hit by an airstrike, members of the organization seek to rescue those caught beneath the rubble. Assad has accused the group of being members of al-Qaeda and of being western propaganda used to delegitimize his government.

Read more: Who are the Syrian White Helmets?

Saving lives is 'utmost priority'

The Syrian government has also criticized the White Helmets for receiving help from Israel to flee Syria. Khaled al-Khatib, the organization's media coordinator, told DW on Monday that "these accusations are an attempt by the Syrian government to question our work and undermine our credibility." He said that his organization has "no relationship with Israel."

He also responded to the Assad government's allegations that the White Helmets are aligned with rebel groups and terrorists. "We don't belong to any party in the conflict. We document war crimes that are being committed in Syria," he said, stressing that the organization's "utmost priority" is to save lives from air raids and that the Syrian regime is responsible for most aerial bombardments in the country.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? War with no end Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The dictator Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The northern watchman Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The eastern guardian The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The western allies A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The rebels The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The resistance Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The new jihadists "Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The old jihadists IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.

Who's fighting in the Syria conflict? The Persian shadow Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country. Author: Elizabeth Schumacher, Alexander Pearson



German reactions

In Germany, politicians were divided on whether to take in the White Helmets who had been evacuated. The German government issued a statement Monday in which it pledged to accept some of the civil defense forces.

"I have decided that Germany will take in eight members of the 'White Helmets' aid group and their families and grant them protection," read the statement by German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who has on the whole expressed a vehemently anti-immigrant stance. "The continuing military offensive and the territorial gain the Syrian regime is making in southern Syria presents an acute danger for the White Helmets and their families."

"The work of the White Helmets deserves admiration and respect and we have supported it out of our conviction," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also said. "From the beginning of the conflict they have saved over 100,000 people." Maas explained that the Syrian government's offensive in southern Syria would pose a danger to any remaining White Helmets there and it is an "act of humanity" to allow some of them to receive protection in Germany.

Read more: Israel shoots down Syrian fighter jet 'in Israeli airspace'

The German Left Party had an entirely different approach to the situation. The party suggested that Germany instead grant asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who could be forced to leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been living since Ecuador granted him asylum in 2012. The Left Party said it would be better to take in Assange than members of the White Helmets, which it said has ties with "Islamic terrorists," without providing evidence to back up its claim.

"It is completely contradictory that Interior Minister Horst Seehofer on the one hand wants to fight Islamist terror, but on the other hand wants to bring in these members of Islamist terrorist militias to Germany," Heike Hänsel, the deputy chairman of the Left Party said.