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Syrian opposition lowers expectations for Trump era

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad greets his supporters during Eid al-Adha prayers at a mosque in the town of Qara, north of Damascus, in this handout picture provided by SANA on September 1, 2017, Syria. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. - RC1EA1EC0D40

After years of waiting out the Barack Obama administration, the fractious Syrian opposition is finding out that time has run out under Donald Trump for any meaningful US action to force Bashar al-Assad from power.

Recent victories by Assad’s armies and their Russian and Iranian allies have crushed hope for a game-changing surge in US military and financial assistance to the beleaguered rebels. Instead, the opposition groups and their US lobbyists are uniting around a dual agenda of boosting anti-Assad sanctions and restoring order in areas recaptured from the Islamic State (IS).

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