President Assad’s forces, backed by Iran and Russia, have made huge gains against the Syrian opposition. Jennifer Cafarella is from the Institute for the Study of War, a military think tank in the US, and explains how the balance of military power could now be in Assad’s favour.

[Image: Syrian volunteers carry portraits of President Bashar al-Assad at the end of paramilitary training. Credit: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images]