In backing Syria's Assad, Russia looks to outdo Iran

Beirut (AFP) – In Aleppo, portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin hang shoulder-to-shoulder with those of his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, signalling Moscow’s rise at the expense of Damascus’s other ally, Iran.
The rivalry between the two primary backers of the Syrian government is becoming increasingly palpable, according to Syrian officials and a Russian analyst.
Iran is proud to have intervened early on in Syria’s six-year war, bolstering the Assad regime