Background:
Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I,
Syria was administered by the French until independence in 1946. In
the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel.
Since 1976, Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon, ostensibly
in a peacekeeping capacity. In recent years, Syria and Israel have
held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.