(CNN) Russia and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are attempting to entice US-backed rebels based at the At Tanf garrison in southern Syria to switch sides, US officials tell CNN, in an apparent bid to oust the coalition from a strategic piece of real estate that is seen as crucial to Syria and Iran's long-term interests in the region. It's just the latest gambit in a months-long tug of war between the US and Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers in the Syrian desert. One official said the recruitment campaign, which appears to have had very limited, if any, success to date, is aimed at mid-level commanders of the groups being trained and equipped by the US-led coalition at the At Tanf base which sits in near the tri-border area of Syria, Jordan and Iraq.So far the coalition says there has only been "less than a handful" of defectionsLast week CNN reported hat a US-backed rebel group had balked at the coalition's insistence that it only fight ISIS not the Assad regime
He added the regime's recruitment effort was assessed to have two objectives, building a force of local fighters and driving the coalition out of key real-estate in southern _. That proximity led to some clashes in June, including _ airstrikes against regime forces who had encroached on the zone and US jets shooting down two pro-regime drones that were perceived to pose a threat to local allies and their coalition advisers.