Russia's Putin makes rare visit to Syria, meets Assad January 07, 2020 at 05:00AM

Vladimir Putin met Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, the Russian leader's second trip to Syria since Moscow intervened decisively on the Syrian president's behalf in a civil war. The visit comes at a time of heightened regional tension, when Assad's other main military ally Iran has said it will retaliate against the United States for the killing of an Iranian general.