Syria

Syria is a Middle Eastern country. It borders Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey.

The capital is Damascus. Other important cities include Aleppo and Hama. Most settlement is near the Mediterranean coast, with the interior consisting largely of desert.

Syria is currently a Ba'athist dictatorship. The government was accused by many of playing a role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Syria is also responsible for allowing foreign terrorist fighters to enter Iraq through their border and attack our troops.

It is also a destination for victims of human trafficking. [1]

Damascus is an important city for Christians, as it is the city to which the Apostle Paul was travelling upon his conversion. However, it has been mostly Muslim for centuries, and was a part of the Ottoman Empire. When the Ottoman Empire dissolved after World War I, France forcibly took over Syria, then left in 1946, granting it its independence.