There are possibly many more who think they just have a cough and cold 

Sooner or later Assad will be discarded by Russia who are his only safe guard from a lynching , Syria is a failed state which has been bled to death by its dreadful leader Assad and his cohorts in an effort to retain power , the Russian interest is Strategic and the Iranian influence on Assad is annoying the Russians that is why Israel is able to launch over 500 attacks in 2020 on Syrian , Iranian and Hezbollah assets in Syria because Russia covertly assists 

BM

bml00 said:

Sooner or later Assad will be discarded by Russia who are his only safe guard from a lynching

This will be Assad's 21st year as President.

I wish Russia would hurry up and discard him.

Assad is about 55 and still serves a strategic purpose for both Russia and Iran , his leadership has seen his country turned into a failed state where various sectors are controlled by various parties , his army is unable to operate without Russian and Iranian support and intervention and this is in turn opposed by the Kurds , the US , Turkey and Israel (to name but a few) ISIL is regrouping , rearming and again it is recruiting .

Putin is an excellent cold blooded strategist and he sees that no matter how he tries he cannot achieve either peace or stability and at the same time he also sees Assad play the Russians off against the Iranians .

Assad will offered up at a time and place which suits Russia and when it happens there will be multiple parties involved and no Russian hands to be seen

BM

In the over 500 attacks on Syrian/ Iranian / Hezbollah forces we have lost one plane to engine failure and it got home and so far each and every designated target has been destroyed - NONE of this would be possible without the assistance of the Russians either overtly or covertly who apparently have been facing the wrong way each time every time 

BM

This sad sorry mess may never have happened if Assad had had an "accident" back in 2011.

U.S.

Timeline: Ten years of Syria conflict, from protest to war to economic decline

Ten years into Syria's conflict, President Bashar al-Assad has survived the bloody insurgency which started out with peaceful protests in March 2011.

Read more from U.S.

Until Putin has no further need of him then Assad will continue , it is always possible we can get him if we really wanted him but I am guessing he devil we know is better than the alternative 

BM

Great visual piece.  Aimed at Australians, but still worth a look.

www.abc.net.au

It was once a jewel of the Middle East. But a decade of fighting has left it shattered

It's hard to imagine life in a war zone, until your home becomes one. For the past decade, this has been the reality for millions of Syrians.

Read more from www.abc.net.au