With the resurgence of fighting in Syria, the frontlines of a complex conflict have caught global attention once again, bringing into focus the role of foreign powers in the country.

What started more than a decade ago as a civil uprising has since spiralled into a multi-layered war, with nations like the United States, Russia, Iran, and Turkey entangled, each with its own reasons for intervention in the region.

Here’s a closer look at the foreign powers operating on Syrian soil and the interests driving their continued presence in the embattled West Asian country.

Turkey

Turkey has deployed troops across northwestern Syria – territory held by Syrian rebel groups which rose up against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. Turkey, which firmly supported the 2011 uprising, backs some of these rebel groups.

A key objective for Turkey has been to counter the influence of Syrian Kurdish armed groups that carved out autonomous enclaves along its border during the civil war.

Ankara regards these groups as extensions of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency within Turkey since 1984 for greater cultural and political rights. However, PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by the Turkish government.

Another pressing concern for Turkey is the return of some three million Syrian refugees who fled to Turkey during the war, many of them originally from the Aleppo region.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched four military operations in Syria.

The first targeted both the jihadist Islamic State group and the Syrian Kurdish YPG, the leading faction within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Turkey’s presence expanded in 2017 when it struck a deal with Russia and Iran that resulted in Turkish forces deploying at 12 positions in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib region.

This was followed in 2018 by an offensive targeting SDF-controlled Afrin, and another incursion in 2019 into SDF territory between the border towns of Ras al Ain and Tel Abyad.

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. Reuters

In 2020, Turkey further bolstered its forces in Idlib, sending thousands of troops to halt an advance by Russia-backed Syrian government forces targeting rebel strongholds.

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The Syrian government, however, views Turkey as an occupying power.

Russia

Russia intervened militarily on Assad’s side in 2015, in its biggest foray in West Asia since the Soviet Union’s collapse. Operating from an airbase in the western province of Latakia, Russian air power dramatically shifted the conflict in Assad’s favour.

In coordination with Iran, the intervention built upon a longstanding Russian presence in Syria, dating back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union established a naval base at Tartus on the Mediterranean coast.

Russian forces have also operated on the ground in government-held areas, with Russian military police deployed during attempts to de-escalate clashes in certain regions.

The Kremlin said it will remain steadfast in its backing of Assad, continuing to provide support to his regime.

Vladimir Putin greets Bashar al-Assad at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Sept. 13, 2021.Iran and allies

Iran deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria as early as 2012 to help Assad, with
Lebanon’s Hezbollah—a key Iranian ally—playing a significant role alongside them.

For Iran, Assad is a crucial ally, part of its “
Axis of Resistance” to Israel and US influence in West Asia. This alliance has enabled Tehran to establish a strategic land corridor stretching from its western border, through Iraq, and into Lebanon.

Iran has consistently described its forces in Syria as providing advisory support at the invitation of the Damascus government. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi noted in a December 3 interview that Tehran would consider sending troops to Syria if Damascus asked.

For Iran, Assad is a crucial ally, part of its “Axis of Resistance” to Israel and US influence in West Asia. This alliance has enabled Tehran to establish a strategic land corridor stretching from its western border, through Iraq, and into Lebanon. File image/ Reuters

In addition to Iranians and Hezbollah, other Shi’ite Islamist groups backed by Iran, including fighters from Afghanistan and Iraq, have played pivotal roles in the conflict.

Recently, Hezbollah withdrew fighters from Syria to Lebanon as its conflict with Israel escalated in mid-October, Reuters reported. Although a ceasefire has since been reached last week, Hezbollah reportedly has no immediate plans to redeploy forces to northern Syria in support of the Syrian army.

The presence of Iranian and Iran-backed forces in Syria has been a big point of concern for Israel, prompting it to carry out frequent airstrikes in Syria.

Also read:
Hezbollah sends ‘supervising forces’ to Syria to defend Homs amid rebel advance

The United States

The US military intervention in Syria began in 2014 with air strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group that had declared its rule over a third of Syria and Iraq.

Initially, a small contingent of US special forces was deployed, collaborating with the SDF to retake territory from IS in Syria’s northern and eastern regions.

In 2018, after declaring that the battle against IS was nearly won, President Trump announced plans to
withdraw US troops from Syria.

However, this decision faced significant backlash, with critics warning that it would create a power vacuum for Iran and Russia to exploit. As a result, the withdrawal was delayed, and US forces have remained in Syria, continuing to support the SDF.

Currently, around 900 US troops are stationed in Syria, primarily in the northeast.

US military positions and personnel in northeastern Syria play a crucial role in preventing the resurgence of the Islamic State, US Ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council on December 3.

In addition to their presence in the northeast, US troops are also stationed at Syria’s Tanf garrison, located at the junction of the Jordanian and Iraqi borders. There, they support a Syrian rebel force aimed at countering IS in the region.

However, the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, regards the US forces as occupiers.

With input from Reuters