Philip Smyth writes:  Both rebel forces and the Islamic State are on the march in Syria. Islamist opposition groups have advanced in the south near Daraa and in the north in Idlib; the Islamic State, meanwhile, last week
conquered the central city of Palmyra. President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is clearly under strain, but rumors of its impending demise are greatly overstated.

While Assad and his Iranian allies are increasingly struggling to field enough forces to protect strategically important areas, they have nonetheless moved aggressively to prevent regime collapse. Using cash and
coercion, Assad has launched new efforts to bolster troop levels and engender further loyalty. Just last week, the Syrian regime announced its hope for a $1 billion credit line from Tehran to continue the fight.
More importantly, Iranian-backed foreign-fighter recruitment and deployment have increased dramatically. With these efforts, the wheels are now in motion for the regime not only to contain rebel advances, but also to push them back.
Early in 2014, the deployment of pro-Assad foreign fighters hit a significant snag when thousands of Iraqi
Shiite militiamen started returning to Iraq following the Islamic State’s gains there. However, the crown jewel of Iran’s proxy network — the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah — soon picked up the slack for
the redeployed Iraqis. Hezbollah recruitment has increased, both within Lebanon and via the group’s affiliated proxies in Syria. The organization also boosted its influence by targeting not just Shiite Muslims
for recruitment, but also other minorities, such as Druze and Christian groups, forming them into paramilitary organizations fitting the Hezbollah model.