Surprising Russia didn`t deploy air strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan

well, Assad did ASK Russia to help.

Did Saddam?
noooo.

Afghanistan is about drugs.

Russia has an historical alliance with Syria, and their only warm water port in Latakia.

Also retaliation for the U.S. backing of the coup in Ukraine.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY, Russia wants to keep supplying Europe with its energy needs. Syria is all about the U.S. -- via its puppets in Turkey and Qatar -- wanting a pipeline built between Qatar and Turkey that would supply Europe with natural gas. But the pipeline would have to go through Syria. Syria is allies with Russia. Russia told Assad: Don't let them run the pipeline through Syria, because if they do, Europe will then get their energy needs supplied by Qatari natural gas and not by Russia anymore. And oil is one of Russia's few lucrative exports.

This pipeline is a neoconservative plan. It's got all the hallmarks. The neoconservatives seek two things regarding Russia: 1) to surround Russia -- encroaching on Russia's western borders in the Baltic countries, Romania, and (the final straw) Ukraine. And 2) to isolate Russia. That means isolating them economically. We have sanctions on them. And now we're trying to destroy their legitimate oil supply contract with Europe.