Who’s fighting whom in Syria?

Russia

Syria has long been a pillar of Russia’s West Asia Policy , and Russia’s only naval base outside the former Soviet Union is in Syria’s Tartus. Islamic State’s seizure of Palmyra, which is strategically located close to Homs and Damascus, and the Turkish-Saudi Arabian game plan for Syria might have prompted Russia to join the fray.

Iran

Iran has been a close ally of Syria since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It is now a key backer of the Assad regime and has been providing Syria with technical, logistical and financial support, and combat troops in the war.

Hezbollah

The Lebanon-based insurgent group, backed by Iran, has been involved in the Syrian War since 2011. Assad’s fall would be a nightmare for Hezbollah . Any Sunni-led new regime would likely be far less friendly to the group, or even outright hostile. Regime change could cut off a major supply route for Hezbollah’s weapons, heavily damage its political clout in Lebanon and knock out a third of the “Iran-Syria-Hezbollah” axis of “resistance” to Israel.

IS

The Islamic State — formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — emerged from the Syrian civil war as a localised revolt against state brutality under President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Nusra Front/Free Syrian Army/Ahrar ash-Sham and other rebels

The rebel groups in Syria took shape during the Syrian uprising, revoltingagainst Assad’s authoritarian government. They are currently backed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

US coalition

The U.S. government sent in military aid to Syrian rebels in June 2013, after its intelligence services confirmed that chemical weapons had been used in the Syrian conflict. It currently leads a coalition conducting air-strikes in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State and other extremist groups.

Russia vs rebels

Russia claims to be targeting IS’ bases but the US claims otherwise . The US reasons that since the militants aren’t in the western part of Syria, beyond Homs, where the strikes were directed, the attacks seem to be directed against opposition groups fighting Mr. Assad.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar vs Iran

Rich Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar support different rebel groups against the Assad regime because they want Assad, an ally of Iran, to be toppled.

Turkey vs Kurds

Turkey joined the Syria war in mid-August and started bombing IS’ camps in the Syrian border. It also allowed access for U.S. aircraft to two of its airbases, departing from its long-held position. But once the Kurdish militants entered the war by fighting off IS troops along the border area and thus gaining US cover, Turkey panicked and said both the Kurdish rebels and IS are “two sides of the same coin”.

Al-Nusra Front vs Hezbollah

The Jabhat al Nusra front is an extremist Sunni Muslim group backed by the al-Qaeda that is fighting its own war against the Shia Hezbollah apart from the Syrian Army. For months now, Hezbollah and the Lebanese armed forces have also been threatening to move against al-Nusra positions along the Lebanon-Syria border in the Qalamoun region after the “melting of the snow.”