Syria: On the brink of collapse (2015)
What about it?
Russia rescues Assad in 2015
In March 2011, most Arab countries broke off diplomatic relations with President Assad due to his massacres, his close relations with Iran and sectarian differences. The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership and imposed economic sanctions. Sunni-majority Arab states, some Gulf states and Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey supported the Syrian insurgents.
In 2015, Mr. Assad’s military was crumbling rapidly, despite Iranian and Hezbollah support. However, in September 2015, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin to send Russian troops to save the Syrian leader, and since then Mr. Assad has gradually regained control over lost territories, now holding more than 60 percent of Syria.