I been thinking about your point recently but i have to say that you have a valid point but not fully. Dont forget that in syria you have rebels who fight withing their own division. They not a state, and dont have the structure in place. The ukrainan war is state vs state. In Syria its normal...
At this moment, more than 100,000 soldiers of the Royal Armed Forces are posted in the middle of the desert on the 2,000 kms of the defensive wall.
Most of them come from working-class backgrounds and courageously defend the country against the enemy from the east. Never forget it or take it...