Hezbollah in Syria: What You Should Know

Since the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011, Iran has provided significant military and financial support to the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad. However, the Iranian leadership is not only doing this in order to assist an old ally. Iran has long-sought to exert its power over Syria as a crucial part of its strategy to establish a “land bridge” from the borders of Iran, through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon up to Israel’s borders and the Mediterrenean Sea. This would increase Iran’s ability to threaten Israel.