Iran has said that the halt in fighting is a victory for Hezbollah. But behind the scenes, officials worked quietly for a cease-fire to stem the group’s losses.

Iran sees the four-day-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as a chance to rebuild the Lebanon-based terror organization, according to sources close to the group quoted by the Washington Post. The sources say that the truce gives Iran a chance to take stock of what was previously its strongest proxy in the region,

Israel's military opened fire Thursday morning in southern Lebanon, a day after reaching a cease-fire agreement in the area with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

The loss of Aleppo to Islamist rebels represents a stunning defeat for the Syrian regime, highlighting its dependence on enfeebled allies.

Time and time again the Assad dynasty has survived internal and external challenges and lived to fight another day. But nothing lasts forever.