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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/opinion/iran-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
Iran Is Taking Over Syria. Can Anyone Stop It?
(New York Times) David W. Lesch - Since the civil war began in 2011, the government of Bashar al-Assad has relied on Iran and its proxies like the Lebanese Hizbullah to stay in power. If Syria's orientation toward Iran continues, Israel will feel that when it looks across the Golan Heights, it sees Iran staring back. The Trump administration has so far seemed willing to cede Syria to Russia, but this really means ceding it to Iran. Moscow wants little more than to maintain its military bases in Syria. It will not actually provide a counterweight to Iran once the war is over. If the U.S. isn't interested in Syria and if Russia continues to focus solely on security issues, Iran will be dominant in Damascus. If Iran is the only party invested in Syria's future, the outcome could be catastrophic. The writer is a professor of Middle East history at Trinity University in San Antonio.