Syria Crisis: What you need to know

Syria Deeply offers a concise run-down of everything you need to know about the Syria conflict

It is now four years since the start of the Syrian Civil War, a revolution that became a muddled conflict claiming over 100,000 lives - and counting.

Understanding the situation can be challenging after so many years of conflict, especially with news reports now dominated with stories about Europeans travelling to the embattled nation to fight for Islamic State militants. Isis are just one of many factions fighting in the region, with Bashar al-Assad's government forces being attacked by Syrian rebels as well as al-Qaeda.

This video explains the basic information you need to know about Syria: from the size of the country to how exactly the civil war began way back in March 2011. It also delves into the nature of Bashar al-Assad's regime and the control his family and the Ba'ath party have exerted on the nation since 1963.

Most recently, while US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared to suggest that they would have to "negotiate" with al-Assad eventually, American officials later said that Kerry had not meant to imply a change in stance. The US said it was making every effort to bring an end to the Syrian leader's rule.

Video courtesy of Prezi - created by Lara Setrakian of Syria Deeply