These developments inside Syria and the region point to one conclusion: the Iranian intervention, which has so far saved the regime – perhaps at the cost of $2 billion (Dh7.35bn) a month to the Tehran treasury – can no longer be usefully scaled up. It is possible for Iran to mobilise more foreign fighters – for example among Afghan Shia refugees living in Iran – but the time is coming when the regime will rely so strongly on Tehran that it will look like a client state.
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