"Shi'ization" of Syria: population swaps and Shiite indoctrination

Iran has long had political ambitions in Syria – as in the entire region - and has invested considerable resources in promoting the Shi'ization of the Syrian state. A network of Iranian influenced educational, cultural, and religious institutions was created throughout Syria even before Bashar Assad's reign. The Syrian regime allowed Iranian missionaries to promote the Shiite faith in Damascus and the Alawite coastal cities. In 2009 it was reported that at least 500 Shiite religious sites, were being renovated with Iranian support. Iran also invested heavily in Shiite holy sites in Syria.

Since the surge in Iranian military involvement in Syria in late 2015, there are some signs of an attempt to create ethnically cohesive Shiite zones around strategically important regions in "Useful Syria" ("La Syria Utile" - a term used to describe the region which stretches from the Mediterranean ports to Aleppo and Damascus).