The terrorists have been defeated. ISIS has lost nearly all of its territory and influence in the Middle East. Iraq has already declared victory and Syria looks poised to do the same in the coming months.

So why is the fighting and bloodshed increasing in Syria?

At the height of ISIS' reign of terror, the group held a declared "caliphate" that spanned across much of northern Syria and a large swath of neighboring Iraq. The size of their control practically made them a de facto nation and their momentum looked like that would be the end result.

A nation, founded by terrorists and declared as a safe haven from the rest of the civilized world.

The prospect was harrowing to say the least.

A loose coalition of nations who had interests and allies to protect flooded the region and quickly turned the tide of the war. Iraq pushed the terrorists out of their largest strongholds as Syria has all but done the same.

The United States, Turkey and Israel came to the aid of the Iraqis and the Kurds who control an autonomous region in the north. Russia and Iran came to the aid of their ally Syria, as international pressure called for the Assad family to relinquish power. The intervention by Russia and Iran assured that not only would Assad win the war, but survive to continue ruling after.

Although ISIS has been just about extinguished, many of these countries plan to keep their military presence in Syria and new conflicts are arising.

Israel and Iran

Two nations that have long hated one another, Israel and Iran are again on a collision path. Under the guise of aiding their ally Syria, Iran has increased it's presence along the Israeli border. The active role that Hezbollah has played in training and fighting with the Syrian forces also have them prepared for a potential conflict with Israel.

The resource rich Golan Heights region has been under dispute for decades. Israel has continued to increase the number of settlements there to strengthen their claim to the region. It is inevitable that their will be conflict to determine true control of the region.

Iran recently had a drone cross into Israeli airspace and it was shot down.

This resulted in cross border air raids that struck Syrian positions. One Israeli aircraft was hit by rocket fire and brought down. It was the first downing of an Israeli aircraft since 1982.

United States and Russia

The new cold war has the two world powers fighting a proxy battle in Syria. A U.S. base recently came under attack from 200 or so Russian militia fighters. Both nations publicly stated that the attacked, which were annihilated by U.S. airstrikes, were operating as paid mercenaries and were not tied to the Russian government.

The fighting also included the destruction of a Russian tank that was firing on the base.

It is easy to see that Russia uses the cover of private mercenaries to hide their involvement in certain conflicts.

They are still active in Ukraine as the fighting in the east continues. The plausible deniability allows Russia to appear like they are acting as an ally, while still achieving the hidden agenda of the Kremlin.

The battle against true terrorists in Syria is winding down. When it is over, all that will be left is a destroyed nation with multiple foreign armies jockeying for control and influence on the rebuilding.

The perfect recipe for war.
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