![Smoke billows from buildings following a reported air strike on Ain Tarma in the Eastern Ghouta area, a rebel stronghold east of the Syrian capital, on October 2, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / AMER ALMOHIBANY](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/CE6R5LGMKI7QMIS3KKWYSU7WIA.jpg?smart=true&auth=3a123a44c4dec27595fe8c70f223cd55147445769f6be0747f9b982142f34115&width=400&height=225)
A miasma of myths now dominates diplomatic and popular discourses about Syria. AFP / Amer Al Mohibany
A miasma of myths now dominates diplomatic and popular discourses about Syria. AFP / Amer Al Mohibany
The human cost of leaving Bashar Al Assad in power is before us
The claims of stability disseminated by Damascus and its allies obscure the savage realities of Syria