a billion dollars from Iran to Syria — payment for refusing to talk peace.

Meir Jevadanfar: Sooner or later, Syria will have to start paying a higher price for its friendship with Iran by reducing its assistance for these militants.
It may seem like a nice gift for now, but the $1 billion assistance package from Tehran may very well turn into an Iranian leash for Syria in the near future. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. And here is the rest of it.