Who is supporting assad

Iran has proposed a peaceful transition in Syria that would culminate in free, multi-party elections. It was involved in peace talks over Syria's future for the first time when world powers met in Vienna. Image source, AFP. Several major world powers have become embroiled in the Syrian conflict. Here is a guide to where the key countries stand:.

Image source, AP. Russia has been one of Syria's staunchest allies for decades. United States. Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia provides military and financial assistance to several rebel groups in Syria. Image source, Reuters. Turkey has led calls for Assad to step down since the start of the Syrian uprising. Iranian commanders have helped Syrian forces against the rebels. This, in turn, triggered Western sanctions, which hurt the Russian economy, particularly business circles close to the Kremlin.

Tense relations with the West also motivated Moscow to put troops on the ground in Syria. Given the deadlock on the Ukrainian crisis, an intervention in the Syrian conflict, which Western powers had been heavily involved in, presented the Russian government with another front where it could pressure the West into negotiations. Less than a year later, Russian troops, along with Iranian-backed militias and Syrian government forces, laid siege on East Aleppo , and by November, forced opposition armed groups to surrender and leave the city.

This was a turning point in the conflict, as it marked the steady retreat of opposition forces and ushered in a new axis between Russia, Iran and Turkey, seeking to resolve the Syrian crisis while excluding the West and Arab powers. In January , the Astana now Nur-Sultan format was launched which brought together the Syrian opposition, including armed groups formerly supported by the West but by then largely abandoned, and the Syrian government, along with Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Later that year, under this format, Russia managed to establish four de-escalation zones where all sides committed to pause military activities. This removed the burden of fighting on multiple fronts and allowed Syrian government forces, along with their Russian and Iranian allies, to take over one opposition-held area after the other. Parts of Idlib province now form the last de-escalation zone remaining in opposition control. It forced Turkey to re-engage, following a crisis in relations caused by the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkish forces, in The failed coup attempt against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in , accelerated the process.

This allowed Russia to enter into the Libyan fray, albeit late, and seek a say in the future of the country by backing the offensive of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar on the capital Tripoli. Despite the increased diplomatic engagement in the region and the prestige on the international scene that has come with it, Russia has not really achieved the same level of influence the US has had.

Moscow has also failed to leverage its position in the Syrian conflict to jump-start dialogue with the West on sanctions or even get Western Europe to commit to funding the reconstruction of war-ravaged Syria. At the same time, Russia is not in full control of Damascus. The regime is quite independent and is able to use both Moscow and Tehran to ensure its survival.

In addition, the continued Turkish and American military presence in resource-rich northern Syria also guarantees Ankara and Washington a say in the future of Syria. Russia entered the Syrian war amid an economic crisis due to slumping oil prices and the fallout of the Ukrainian crisis. This initially caused domestic concern about the cost of the war.

The US has largely avoided direct conflict with pro-regime forces, but in US President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on a Syrian airbase in response to a government chemical weapons attack against civilians. His own advisers later walked back that statement leaving US allies unclear what the country's exact policy would be. However, its intentions on other issues have become unclear. The Trump administration has also given conflicting signals as to whether the US would oppose a peace deal keeping Assad in power.

But those talks have so far failed to reach a breakthrough. Both sides have disagreed about whether Assad's departure should be a precondition for any final settlement. Read more: Donald Trump's motives for Syria withdrawal remain as murky as its implementation. Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 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.

Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias. The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 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. A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group.

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. Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad. 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. 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.

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