ASSAD AND PUTIN, A LOVE STORY — Damascus thanks Moscow for help in recapturing Salma from rebel forces:

Government forces were able to capture the city “thanks to the support of the friendly Russian aviation,” Latakia Governor Ibrahim Khder al-Saalem said. “Our army will now press its offensive further.”

Since Russia launched its bombing campaign on Sept. 30, its warplanes have flown nearly 6,000 missions in support of the Syrian government troops. The airstrikes were ostensibly to target Islamic State militants and other extremists, but they also have helped Assad push back rebels on several fronts and capture dozens of villages in the north and west.

The AP report also notes that the “offensive has given Assad a stronger hand going into peace talks with the opposition,” which is what Putin’s military effort there is all about.

At least somebody in the Middle East still knows what it’s like to have a major power as reliable and serious ally.