After nearly seven years and hundreds of thousands of deaths, the war in Syria continues to defy attempts at a resolution, and it has reached a new level of intensity in recent weeks.

Turkish forces launched an offensive against Kurdish troops in the north, Israel clashed with Iranian and Syrian forces on the country’s southwestern border and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria unleashed a brutal assault on the rebel enclave of East Ghouta.

Here are the broad outlines of the current phase of the Syrian war, which is largely driven by three major intersecting conflicts playing out at the same time.

Turkey Turkey versus the Kurds Kobani Manbij Hasaka Azaz Afrin Al Bab Kurdish control Aleppo Idlib Raqqa Assad versus rebels Ath Thawra Isis control Euphrates River Rebel control The battle against ISIS Deir al-Zour Syria Hama Mayadin Government Control Homs Palmyra Iraq Abu Kamal Sparsely populated areas lebanon East Ghouta Damascus Areas of control by IHS Conflict Monitor as of Feb. 5 Nawa Suwayda Jordan Dar‘a Turkey Turkey versus the Kurds Kobani Manbij Azaz Hasaka Afrin Al Bab Kurdish control Aleppo Raqqa Assad versus rebels Isis control Ath Thawra Euphrates River Rebel control The battle against ISIS Deir al-Zour Syria Hama Mayadin Government Control Homs Palmyra Iraq Abu Kamal lebanon Sparsely populated areas East Ghouta Damascus Areas of control by IHS Conflict Monitor as of Feb. 5 Nawa Suwayda Jordan Dar‘a Turkey Turkey versus the Kurds Kobani Manbij Azaz Hasaka Afrin Al Bab Kurdish control Aleppo Raqqa Assad versus rebels Isis control Ath Thawra Euphrates River Rebel control The battle against ISIS Deir al-Zour Syria Hama Mayadin Government Control Homs Palmyra Iraq Abu Kamal lebanon Sparsely populated areas East Ghouta Damascus Areas of control by IHS Conflict Monitor as of Feb. 5 Nawa Suwayda Jordan Dar‘a Turkey Kurdish control Aleppo Raqqa Isis control Rebel control Government Control Homs Palmyra Iraq Syria Sparsely populated areas Damascus Areas of control by IHS Conflict Monitor as of Feb. 5 Jordan Turkey Syria Iraq Jordan Government Control Rebel control Kurdish control ISIS control Areas of control by IHS Conflict Monitor as of Feb. 5

As international players scramble to influence the war, a mix of them – Iranian, Turkish, Russian, American, Israeli and others – are fighting in different parts of Syria. The complexity of the war’s alliances helps explain why it may continue for years.

1 Assad versus rebels

Azaz Al Bab Turkey Aleppo Idlib Raqqa Land seized from rebels since Jan. 2018 Rebel control Government Control Hama Syria Homs Palmyra lebanon Sparsely populated areas Airstrikes in East Ghouta Damascus Azaz Al Bab Turkey Aleppo Idlib Raqqa Land seized from rebels since Jan. 2018 Rebel control Government Control Hama Syria Homs Palmyra Turkey Azaz Al Bab Aleppo Idlib Ath Thawra Land seized from rebels since Jan. 2018 Rebel control Hama Government Control Homs Palmyra Syria

The conflict that started the war, an uprising against Mr. Assad that evolved into an armed rebellion, appears to be headed toward a conclusion. Rebels had no unified leadership, and their foreign backers – including the United States – cut support, while the government’s backers increased their support. The rebels have been pushed into a few remaining bastions, and no one remains who is willing and able to topple Mr. Assad.

Yet government forces are depleted, leaving Mr. Assad without sufficient troops to clear and hold the entire country. Many pro-government forces are militias that can kill rebels but not reimpose governance. Even in areas nominally under Mr. Assad’s control, foreign backers like Iran and Russia often exercise greater control than the Syrian government.

And Mr. Assad’s scorched-earth campaigns have killed hundreds of thousands of people and obliterated cities, destroying the social fabric that could help the country unify. Most recently, he unleashed airstrikes and rockets against a rebel enclave outside Damascus, East Ghouta, killing nearly 100 people.

2 The battle against ISIS

Manbij Hasaka Azaz Al Bab Kurdish control Aleppo Raqqa Isis control Ath Thawra Land seized from ISIS in Dec. 2017 Syria Mayadin Iraq Palmyra Abu Kamal Manbij Hasaka Kurdish control Raqqa Isis control Ath Thawra Land seized from ISIS in Dec. 2017 Syria Mayadin Iraq Palmyra Abu Kamal Hasaka Kurdish control Isis control Land seized from ISIS in Dec. 2017 Mayadin Iraq Syria Abu Kamal

The jihadists of the Islamic State have lost nearly all of the territory that they controlled as a self-proclaimed caliphate. Kurdish-led forces, backed by the United States, pushed them out of their de facto capital, Raqqa, and, along with forces backed by Syria and Russia, have pinned them down to a narrowing band of territory on Syria’s eastern border.

But Islamic State fighters have returned to their insurgent roots, hiding out in the desert and emerging to carry out attacks on Syrian government forces and other local forces backed by the United States. As the group’s territory recedes, some analysts believe the jihadists may turn to terrorist attacks and other insurgency tactics.

And the Kurds who expelled the Islamic State will not be able to rule majority-Arab areas, opening up power vacuums that set up this part of the country up for the next conflict.

3 Turkey versus the Kurds

Turkish movement Jan. 22 Turkey Kobani Turkish positions Jan. 21 Azaz Manbij Afrin Kurdish control Aleppo Raqqa Syria Ath Thawra Turkish movement Jan. 22 Turkey Kobani Turkish positions Jan. 21 Azaz Manbij Afrin Kurdish control Aleppo Syria Ath Thawra Turkey Turkish movement Jan. 22 Turkish positions Jan. 21 Azaz Kurdish control Afrin Aleppo Syria

The array of international combatants has lately created new flare-ups. Turkey has felt threatened by the predominate fighting group to emerge from Syria’s Kurdish minority, which carved out a de facto ministate along the Turkish border amid the chaos of the civil war. In January, Turkey attacked the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, saying it was seeking to root out terrorists.

Then, forces loyal to the Syrian government entered Afrin to join Kurdish militias fighting Turkish troops. The government’s move against the Turks and their allied militias threatened to unravel months of diplomatic efforts between Russia, Turkey and Iran to de-escalate the conflict.