Advantage Assad After Five Years of War in Syria
- Turks, Saudis have few options to aid embattled rebel allies
- War heads to shootout with Islamic State as `moderates' wilt
Syrian government soldiers celebrate after taking control of the village of Ratian, north of the embattled city of Aleppo.
Photographer: George Ourfalian/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
After five years of war and a quarter-million dead, President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies now have the upper hand in Syria, and they’re seeking to drive home a growing battlefield advantage rather than negotiate.