Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War

The United Nations embarked on fresh efforts on Jan. 25 to jump-start Syrian peace talks that Western countries and the opposition fear are being undermined by a separate Russian diplomatic push.

Russian and Turkish presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in Syria on the phone, including in the Afrin region, where the Turkish army is operating, TASS reported, referring to the Kremlin.

Britain will look to find ways to stop any further escalation of violence in Syria after Turkey opened a new front in the country’s war, Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said on Jan. 22.

The US Army will remain in Syria until the jihadist group Islamic State is finally defeated, as well as to resist Iranian influence and ultimately help with the overthrow of Bashar Assad, said US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The U.S.-led coalition is working with its Syrian militia allies to set up a new border force of 30,000 personnel, the coalition said on Jan. 14, a move that has added to Turkish anger over U.S. support in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Jan. 11 that it was not Turks who attacked Russia’s bases in Syria this week, according to local media reports.

Israeli jets and ground-to-ground missiles struck Syria early on Tuesday, Syria's army said, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated he would do what was needed to stop Hezbollah gaining "game-changing" Iranian weapons, according to Reuters. 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a terrorist and continuing with him in Syrian peace efforts is impossible, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Dec. 27.

Syrian army forces backed by Iranian-backed militias pushed deeper into the last rebel-held enclave near a strategic border area with Israel and Lebanon in a new expansion of Tehran’s influence in the war-torn country.

Russia, Turkey and Iran have “full understanding” of countering terrorism and preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Dec. 15.