Both U.S. and Russian troops patrol the tense area separately, and thousands of Iranian-backed militias are stationed nearby. The Lebanese Hezbollah group and a slew of other Iranian-backed militias are fighting there. The war has pulled in so many international players that one Syrian joke says perhaps the Syrian people are the ones who need to leave the country, so as not to disturb those foreign powers fighting on their soil. Assad, who has been able to keep his grip on the central government from Damascus throughout the war, continues to chip away at rebel-held territory with Russian help. Few refugees have dared to return, and reconstruction efforts are on hold, pending a political resolution.

Source: Daily Sun March 15, 2020 06:11 UTC