.... In this sense, Syria represents a space for expressing the “Russian idea” and restoring its reputation as a major power.
We can state here that Syria owes Russia a kind of “intangible debt,” although many people in the country believe that Syria’s steadfastness (with the support of Iran and Hezbollah), especially during the period between 2011 and 2015, has given Russia an unprecedented opportunity to launch a new phase in its foreign policy and bolster its position in the world.
Russia’s presence in Syria can thus be explained by the fact that it is difficult to involve Syria, Iran and Hezbollah in the following:
...
... al-Assad government remaining in power. That would be the best explanation for why it was recently revealed that Israel is arming some Sunni jihadist rebels. Israel is willing to ally itself with Salafist rebels in order to prevent the “Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah axis” from proclaiming victory in the Syrian Civil War. Whether this proves to be a wise decision for Israel, remains to be seen.
Russia’s Syrian Foreign Policy: The Israeli’s Vantage Point
Ruslan Mamedov:
Non-Governmental and Irregular Armed Groups in the Syria/Iraq Conflict Zone
Russia intervened in Syria in 2015 at the request of Syrian President al-Assad. Russia has no ...
Iran’s Experience and Russia’s Approach
The problem of non-governmental and irregular armed groups in ... ... Moscow and Tehran
Yulia Sveshnikova, Hamidreza Azizi:
War of Interests for Peace in Syria
Given the absence of an institutionalized regional order, certain loyalty structures... ... and Lebanon, in support of its immediate allies in the Islamic resistance (primarily Hezbollah). Tehran views Syria as the central piece in this allied structure. In the...
... cohesion of its units, improve the training and equipment of soldiers and, as a result, multiply their efficiency on the front lines and behind the lines.
As-Safir described the creation of the Fifth Corps as an example of close coordination between Russia, Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah. According to the newspaper, the main attack force of the Fifth Corps will include the best trained units of the Syrian army and pro-government paramilitary groups, such as Liwa Suqur al-Sahara (Desert Falcons) and Liwa al-Quds. Both groups ...
... The Party’s Deputy Secretary-General, and one of its main thinkers, Naim Qassem, noted that the positions of Russia and Hezbollah have converged over the past ten years and that the two sides now interact in a number of different areas (link in Russian).
In terms of practical actions in Syria, Hezbollah has launched offensive ground operations for the first time in its history. Russia’s air operation in Syria and its close cooperation with the Syrian army have in turn led to
interaction
“on the ground” with the Party’s ...
... regions (the majority of Christians were forced to flee in the 1980s) and the Shia Hezbollah, the camp may at any time be used as a springboard for Sunni Islamists, which... ... 2007. However, this time the movement will be oriented against the Shia.
The plight of Syrian refugees, a potential source for the recruitment of new “oppositionists”... ... behind insecurity and instability in Lebanon as well (see:
НВО, 10.03.2015
[in Russian]).
The acute problems in finding a political consensus between the main political...
