Syria: Which countries have been involved in the war and why?

A surprising advance by Syrian rebels ended Bashar al-Assad’s decades-long rule, when opposition forces seized the capital and forced the president to flee on December 8.

The overthrow followed a 13-year civil war, which began after Assad crushed pro-democracy protests, killing more than half a million people and displacing millions more, and involving international powers and their proxies. .

The world is now watching how Syria’s political landscape is shaping up after the overthrow of the Assad family’s half-century rule.

Among those with vested interests in the conflict and the future of the country are, on the one hand, Russia and Iran – which supported Assad – and, on the other, the United States and Turkey, which supported different rebel groups.

Here we explore how those countries, along with Israel, have played a role in Syria and could continue to do so.